


Undercover(s)

by SapphicScholar



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Eventual Smut, F/F, Mistaken Identity, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, spy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-12-24 06:07:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 86,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12006666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicScholar/pseuds/SapphicScholar
Summary: In this spy AU, both Maggie, a spy with Kane Agencies, and Alex, an undercover operative working for the DEO, are sent to Metropolis to go deep undercover and investigate Cadmus’ newest branch. What happens when the line between mark and partner gets a little too blurry?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who suggested really excellent titles, and especially to maybesomedayroot, whose suggestion of “Under the Covers” inspired the eventual title here. 
> 
> A/N: This Cadmus is a radical anti-alien terrorist group with a national network in development, though for most of this fic, I focus more on the “behind the scenes” type of action that goes into sustaining and recruiting advocates for the cause, rather than overt attacks on cities and alien populations. I’m not dealing with Jeremiah here because the show could not be bothered to give us a focused look at the group or his role for more than a hot second. And the DEO has some of its current functions, though they also run more undercover operations than we see on the show, and Alex’s role is more as an undercover operative than the more narrowly defined kind of field agent work we see her doing in the show.
> 
> A/N 2: One of the original characters is named Sam, but she isn’t meant to be Reign. I gave her that name before Reign’s name was announced, and I didn’t want to go try to make sure I found every single instance (also, Sam fits as the character’s name). Many of the other names, however, are indeed meant to allude to other characters from other shows and fandoms—mainly just for fun; if there’s a real reason you need to know the character to whom I’m referring, I’ll give enough details about them to ensure that you understand without having to know the original source. 
> 
> A/N 3: When speaking about Alex and Maggie while they’re undercover, I’ll continue to use their real names except when another character is thinking about or interacting with them, in which case they’ll use the undercover name.

“Do you understand?” J’onn repeated, waiting for Alex to look up.

“Yes, sir,” Alex finally confirmed.

“That means no contact with anyone. Kara included.”

“I understand.”

“Then report tomorrow at 0700 hours with your file memorized.”

“Yes, sir.” And with that, Alex turned on her heel and strode out the front door. As excited as she was by the opportunity to go deep undercover once more—and to work on taking down an organization as evil as Cadmus no less (well, J’onn would probably amend that statement to “gathering intel about Cadmus”)—she also knew that these missions were risky. Now, with Kara involved at the DEO and intimately connected to their target, Alex wanted to be able to keep her sister apprized at all times, to be able to talk to her at night and promise her that she’d protect her, that she would make sure Cadmus didn’t get to her. But this was her way of ensuring that Cadmus was kept down, and for now, it would have to be enough.

That night she pored over her forged documents, practicing introducing herself as Cat (“only my mother calls me Catharine”) Sullivan, a jack of all trades newly employed as a bartender in one of Metropolis’ better known dive bars, which a source had identified as a spot a few of the Cadmus operatives hung out in, until she found something more lucrative. She learned her persona: smart, but dropped out of school; anti-alien after getting caught in the cross-fire during one of Superman’s fights; never married by choice; no desire for a family; makes extra cash by fixing up old bikes and reselling them. By the time midnight rolled around, Alex felt comfortable. She’d played similar roles before, though this was her first time going into the field naked in a few years.

The next morning, she showed up with a backpack filled with just the essentials—nothing with her old name, nothing that could be traced to Alex Danvers, the DEO, or Supergirl.

“Good morning, Agent Danvers, or should I call you Cat?” J’onn greeted.

“I’m Cat for the next few months, right?”

“Exactly,” J’onn nodded. “Do you have any last questions?”

Alex responded cheekily: “Did you get me a nicer apartment than last time?” After a moment, though, she added in a more serious tone, “You’ll watch out for Kara, right?”

“Of course. You know…you know I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”

“Right. Yeah.” With a deep breath, Alex shoved an envelope into J’onn’s hands. “It’s for her…just in case.”

With a slight clench to his jaw, J’onn nodded once. “You know I have to ask: is there anything in this letter that could jeopardize this mission—whether or not you are still a part of it?”

“No, sir.”

“Very well. Be safe, Agent. You’ll receive communication from us in the coming weeks, once we’ve established safer channels. For now, enjoy bartending.”

“Ah, well that I can most definitely do.”

\---

Alex rolled her shoulders as she stepped out of the cab in front of her new apartment. The building was a bit run down, but it looked like the neighborhood was in the process of gentrification if the hipster bars down the block were any indication. She groaned as soon as she walked in and found it was a walk up. Luckily the building wasn’t big, and being on the top floor only meant four flights of stairs. By the time she dragged herself to the top, she could feel the effects of the long flight settling in; ever since that last flight to Geneva had almost gone so terribly wrong, she couldn’t sleep on planes, could barely even keep her breathing regulated.

She jammed her key into the lock, feeling it stick slightly, but with a shove from her shoulder, she managed to push the door open. Taking in the space, Alex had to admit, it wasn’t bad. Exposed beams and brick confirmed all of her suspicions about the recent hipster takeover. There were a few sparse decorations scattered throughout the apartment meant to make it look lived in. She laughed to herself at the irony of her fake apartment looking homier than her actual apartment.

After a quick sweep for any bugs, even though she knew J’onn would have sent in a team to do just that, Alex began assessing the full apartment. Turning to the bedroom, she took in the full sized bed—a step down from her California king at home—and the dresser full of a more casual wardrobe than she was used to—from skinny jeans and Vans to hoodies and tank tops, complete with a few coats and gloves for the seasons she realized she’d have to get used to.

The kitchen was blessedly simple with no indicators that its occupant actually knew how to cook or made use of it on a regular basis. The living area had a small table—she remembered that Cat didn’t do relationships—a brown leather sofa that looked worn in and rather comfortable, a bookcase, and a modest TV. She frowned slightly at the sight of a row of hooks on the wall by the front door. They seemed too high up for coats and bags, and she wondered if there was some weird detail about Cat she’d missed.

Pulling open the door to what Alex had assumed would be a closet, she was shocked to find what looked like a mechanic’s garage full of bicycle parts. She cursed under her breath, wondering why J’onn had found it appropriate to list “bikes” knowing damn well which version Alex would assume he meant. Seeing the rows of frames in various states of completion, she realized what the hooks might be for and groaned, making a mental note to complain to J’onn when she got back. Apparently he expected her to voluntarily freeze her ass off on a bicycle as fall turned into a proper northeastern winter.

Looking through the room, Alex found a handful of manuals about bicycle repair and building, along with a fully stocked toolbox that she figured she’d need to learn how to use if her cover was going to stand up to scrutiny. Thinking back, she tried to remember the last time she was out on a bike…maybe it was college? She’d ridden around Stanford a bit during undergrad, but by grad school she’d gotten herself a car and never looked back until she learned the joys of riding on a Ducati. Figuring all of that could wait until tomorrow, Alex collapsed down into the bed, letting her eyes flutter closed.

She awoke to the sound of an alarm she most definitely had not set blaring at a time that felt far too early. Dragging herself out of bed, she finally managed to find the offending cell phone that she hadn’t even noticed the night before. Figuring J’onn had set it up here for a reason, she scrolled through anything she could find on the phone, locating the bare minimum number of contacts, including one for Mom that she already knew would be her emergency line if she needed to abort the mission. The inclusion of a few different restaurants for takeout made her smile; sometimes J’onn was rather considerate.

She also found a fairly private Facebook page with a couple hundred friends she assumed were a mix of fake accounts run by the DEO and locals who were apparently unsuspecting enough to accept a friend request from someone in the area. When she went into the map app, she found the bar where she was the bartender listed under work, along with a few other “favorites,” including a bike parts store that had her grumbling, a few bars and restaurants, and Juliet’s, a coffee shop that she suspected she’d be visiting before the rest.

After a quick shower, Alex pulled on a pair of skinny jeans found in the dresser and a plaid button up. Checking the address, she grumbled at the realization that it was far enough to be best done on a bike, not on foot. Picking her way through the makeshift garage, she found two bikes that looked nicer than the rest and prayed that they were complete and wouldn’t fall apart on her before she had time to familiarize herself with the fine art of bicycle maintenance. She grabbed the one with a helmet and a lock already clipped to it and hoped the small key on her keyring would open the U-lock.

It wasn’t until she was out her front door that she realized just how much of a pain in the ass a walk up was going to be. By the time she made it to the bottom, her shirt was streaked with black grease and she could feel a thin sheen of sweat on her brow. With a bit of wrestling and one jarringly loud crash of a pedal against the metal of the front doorframe, Alex finally got herself outside.

“Fucking hell,” she muttered as she realized she had nowhere to put her keys and phone and ungracefully stuffed them into her bra, buckling up her helmet and throwing a leg over the frame. After a brief prayer to whomever might listen, she set off pedaling only to have a jogger yell at her to “Get the fuck off the sidewalk!” a moment later. She tried to flip him off only to lose her balance and nearly go careening into the front stoop of one of the houses on the block. At the corner, she finally forced herself into the street, growling at the steady stream of oncoming drivers who wouldn’t let her in.

By the time she had gotten a few blocks into her ride to the cafe, she began noticing the chill of the morning, cursing the northeastern fall weather that would apparently make gloves and a sweatshirt a necessity even in October.

She was endlessly grateful for the amount of physical training J’onn subjected all of his field agents to when she arrived just a little sweaty and not particularly out of breath. Ungracefully, she managed to pull herself off the saddle and lean her bike up against one of the bike racks. With a glance around to make sure no one was watching, she fished her keys out of her bra and undid the lock, making her best educated guess as she wedged it around the frame and the metal pole.

“You should really get the wheels too unless you’re trying to get your bike stolen,” a twenty-something guy threw out as he walked past.

As much as Alex was sure he was correct, she still grumbled under her breath at the condescending tone, the assumption that she wouldn’t have figured it out herself. After a minute or two of fighting with the lock, she managed to get it around both the back wheel and the frame with just enough space to get the pole in too, and she quickly locked the bar on, sighing as she took in her disheveled appearance.

Walking into Juliet’s, Alex was pleased to find that it wasn’t fancy or too overwrought in trying to be artsy. There were a few paintings hung on the walls with signs about contacting the artists—all of them local, at least according to their phone numbers and addresses—and a corkboard with information about job openings and a few free concerts and gallery shows in the coming weeks. After another minute or two, Alex made her way up to the counter.

“Hey, what can I get you?” the barista asked, looking vaguely interested by the newcomer.

“Black coffee, please. Medium,” she ordered.

“For here or to go?”

“Oh, uh, for here is fine.”

“Alright, that’ll be two-fifty.”

“Actually, could I add an everything bagel?” Alex asked, realizing with a pang of hunger that she hadn’t eaten since the shitty sandwich she grabbed on her way out of the airport.

“Sure,” the woman nodded, giving Alex a new total before going back to drop a bagel in the toaster and grab the coffee.

Once she had her breakfast, Alex settled into one of the tables in the corner, watching as people arrived and left, trying to figure out the flow of crowds, the types of people who came here. After a little while, she checked her phone, wondering if J’onn had thought to update her calendar with a work schedule or any other information. She found a reminder for a shift that evening, along with a few “social” events she assumed were mandatory.

\---

She spent her afternoon familiarizing herself with the neighborhood and getting used to being on a bike—from locking it up to simply carrying it without coming away looking like a 1950s bad boy—before settling in with a few of the books she found on her shelf about bike maintenance and bartending; she assumed she should probably learn the correct ratios instead of relying on her more generous pours.

By the time she had to leave for her shift, she felt a bit more comfortable as Cat. She still dressed in all black just in case she had any more bike grease incidents, but she left herself plenty of time to get there and lock up her bike and stop sweating before she had to go in and introduce herself. As it turned out, her commute to the bar ended in a rather steep uphill, making the extra time one of her better ideas. After locking up her bike, she gave herself a few minutes to walk around in the cool night air, subtly lifting up her shirt to lower her body temperature again as she shook out her hair in a desperate attempt to make it look less like it had just been encased in a sweaty helmet and more like it was artfully disheveled.

When she finally made her way inside, she was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t as intentionally grungy as it could be. The crowd was eclectic, but it wasn’t as crowded as some of the places she’d seen on her way over. With a few pool tables and dartboards, it felt like a place she might choose to hang out—not that she would now, knowing the kinds of people who also chose to spend time here.

“Hey, I’m here for my shift,” Alex said when she finally made it up to the counter.

“Oh, are you Cat?” the petite woman asked, taking in the sight of Alex.

“Yeah, sorry for not leading with that,” she chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it! I’m Waverly. I’ll be taking you through the ropes tonight.” The woman—Waverly—looked friendly enough, if a bit perky for Alex’s taste.

“Oh, okay,” Alex nodded. “Do I need to get anything before I start?”

“Nah, you’re in the requisite black pants, black shoes, right?”

“Yep,” Alex confirmed, glad to have gotten something right.

“Perfect, here, let me just grab one of the servers to stand behind the bar, and I’ll show you your locker.”

“Oh, thanks,” Alex mumbled, realizing she should probably leave her helmet and bag somewhere. Once Waverly found a server, she took Alex to the back, introducing her to everyone they passed, and handed over a key to her locker. On the way back to the front, she went over a few of the basics, like where things were kept behind the bar, which drinks they had special prices on, which hours happy hour ran, and the like. Alex tried to keep up as Waverly went over the register and the full drink menu, though she made a point of tuning in when Waverly began pointing out some of the regulars, listening for any of the names that had come up in her briefings with J’onn.

“That’s Bobo and his crew. They can get a little rowdy, and sometimes you need to cut them off, but he’s pretty good about keeping his boys in line. And, if you ever need help, just call me.”

“Call you? Not a bouncer?”

“Me,” Waverly confirmed. “He likes me. Plus, I can handle my own,” she added with a wink, flexing her arms and revealing some truly impressive muscles, though Alex tried not to stare too long. No need to be creepy with her new coworker.

“Right, yeah, noted. Um, anyone else worth mentioning?”

“Uhm, that group back there—they’re not the friendliest, but they pay their tabs and keep to themselves,” Waverly added, gesturing at a group sitting toward the back that Alex had noticed on her way in. She didn’t ask for names just yet, not wanting to raise any suspicions just in case Waverly was somehow involved too. But a few of them had military-style haircuts, and even though they were dressed to blend in with the crowd, they sat apart from them, and Alex could see tattoos poking out from sleeves and collars.

“When school’s back in session, we get some of the undergrads coming in with fakes. I mean, I’ll admit, we’re not as good about cracking down on them as we should be—I should know, my older sister used to be one of the worst of them,” she laughed, “but if it seems like someone is getting drunk and their ID didn’t quite pass muster, we cut them off a lot earlier than we would with our other customers.”

“Got it,” Alex nodded.

“And this,” Waverly said, her voice suddenly changing in tone, “is the very best our local cops can offer.”

Before Alex could ask what she meant, Waverly was leaning across the counter, tangling her fingers in this new woman’s hair, and kissing her soundly. After a moment or two, Alex looked away, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment, and busied herself with straightening out some of the bottles.

“Cat, this is my girlfriend Nicole Haught. Nicole, this is our newest bartender, Cat Sullivan.”

“Nice to meet you,” Alex greeted, offering her hand.

“You too. I’m sure Waves is doing an excellent job of showing you the ropes around here.”

“Yeah, definitely, now it’s just a matter of putting it into practice.”

“Well, why don’t you take this group now?” Waverly suggested, motioning as a group of three women came up to the counter.

“Sounds good,” Alex sighed, figuring now was as good an opportunity as ever to start learning her way around her newest home.

\---

Over the next few weeks, Alex let herself settle into her new life—into Cat’s life. She let Waverly and Nicole take her out a couple of times, began friending the new people she met on Facebook and posting a picture or a status now and then to make her profile look more believable. She continued hanging out at Juliet’s and started talking to a few of the baristas she saw on a regular basis. She even dragged herself out to the bike shop after a few long afternoons spent memorizing the names of parts and practicing basic repairs on what looked like the worst bike in her garage. The cute butch mechanic working in the shop made things a little better, and when she introduced herself to Alex and handed over a card with her number in case she ever needed some help, Alex thought she just might get into bike repairs after all.

At the bar, she quickly earned the respect of her coworkers and the notice of a few of the regulars after breaking up a bar fight between two rather burly men without breaking a sweat. And as the days went by, she worked on getting a few words in—even just a greeting—when she went past the back table of people she’d soon determined, through a combination of eavesdropping and carefully planted bugs under their usual table, were, in fact, Cadmus and Cadmus-adjacent. Some of them were clearly low-level—maybe just supporters—but Sam and Victor, both former military with the scars and tattoos to prove it, seemed to be in some position of power. Alex thought they might be dating, though Sam also pinged Alex’s gaydar a little too much for Alex to be sure that she was anything more than a professional partner to Victor.

It was right around week four that Alex finally had an opportunity to make her first move toward connecting with her targets. After stopping a nasty attack on the city, Superman’s face was plastered all over the news and his supporters were rather vocal. That night at the bar, one of the men from the Cadmus table—Ray, one of the lower level grunts from what Alex could tell—had cornered a slightly inebriated Superman fan who had made the mistake of loudly declaring Superman the greatest hero of all time and offering an open challenge to anyone who thought otherwise to fight him on it. Of course, Ray had been only too excited to take him up on that offer and, being nearly three times the guy’s size, was a sure favorite to win.

“Hey! Break it up!” Alex yelled, approaching menacingly with a pool cue clutched in her hand.

“Or what?” Ray growled.

“Or your friends over there will get to see you get your ass handed to you.” Some of the guys at the table laughed and hooted loudly at that, and Alex smirked and saluted them, figuring, if the way they talked to each other was any indication, she hadn’t completely alienated herself as long as she handled the rest of this confrontation well. “Plus, you’ve got another round of drinks coming out, you don’t want to have one of your buddies steal yours again.”

After a moment’s consideration, Ray grunted, “Fine,” and moved his arm, allowing his trembling prey to escape and dart all the way across the bar.

“Everyone knows you could’ve kicked his ass, but what good’s it gonna do?” Alex shrugged. “People are still gonna fall over themselves to kiss that alien’s ass or lick his boots or whatever it is they get off to with all that hero worship bullshit,” she added in a lower voice, hoping she’d gotten close enough to the table to let them catch bits and pieces of it—enough that they’d believe Ray and not assume he was just drunk or dumb.

“Whole fuckin’ town is overrun by those groupies,” Ray ranted, throwing himself back down into the booth and looking over Alex as though he were seeing her in a new light.

“Yeah well, how about I get you a beer on me to make up for it?”

“Okay,” Ray agreed, looking much more affable with the promise of free alcohol.

After delivering the promised beer, Alex went back on her 15-minute break and quickly jammed her headphones into her ears, listening in to the bug still firmly planted under the table. It was hard to hear everything with the background noise of the bar, but she managed to catch snippets of Ray telling them about the “hot redhead” who might not be as bad as the rest of the town.

Sam seemed hesitant, but one of the men—maybe Victor?—suggested they try to figure her out more. After all, he added, “We’re always looking for more soldiers for the cause.”

When Amy came out to ask Alex to help with a rush of people, Alex stuffed her headphones and phone back into her pocket and made her way back to the bar again, helping to make it through the orders.

At the end of the night, Alex noticed that most of her Cadmus targets were still lingering outside the bar, having been shooed out after last call. With one last thorough mopping of the sticky bar floor, Alex clocked out, yelling to Amy, who was still counting the cash register, to have a good night. Rolling her shoulders to try to ease the tension out of them, Alex grabbed her bag and helmet and made her way outside to where the group was waiting for her.

“Hey,” Sam greeted, her voice low and slightly threatening as she advanced on Alex.

“What’s up?” Alex asked, trying to find the right mixture between apprehensive and tough for a woman who wasn’t supposed to have any idea who these people were or why they might want to talk to her.

“Heard what you said to Ray,” Victor explained.

“Okay,” Alex shrugged. “And?”

“And we wanna know why you said it,” Sam growled, clearly less impressed than the others.

“Told him I’d kick his ass because I could,” Alex spat back, figuring it would be best if they thought she was afraid of a fight and not even thinking about her Superman comments.

“Not about that,” Ray helpfully added, earning a glare from Sam. “About the aliens.”

“Ray,” Victor hissed. “Not now.”

“What about them?” Alex asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

“You really don’t like them?”

“What’s to like?” Alex scoffed.

“According to the dear people of Metropolis quite a bit,” Sam answered with a bitter laugh.

“Yeah, well, maybe when they do their job protecting you, but it didn’t work out all that well for me.”

“What do you mean?” Victor asked, looking suddenly curious. Alex watched as his eyes roved over her, clearly trying to find some sign of weakness, some marker of what hadn’t been protected.

“I mean when you’ve gotten caught in his crossfire, it’s a little fucking different. No one ever asks about the people and the property those alien ‘heroes,’” she spat out, her voice dripping with contempt, “destroy while they go about saving the world or whatever it is we’re calling it these days.”

“You look fine,” Sam assessed.

“Yeah, in a shirt I do,” Alex shrugged, knowing if it ever came down to it, the white scar that wrapped around her back from a mission gone wrong several years ago would do just fine as proof. When Victor stepped forward as if to check, Alex widened her stance. “It’s not in a place you get to see unless we’re fucking. And trust me, you’re not my type.”

At that, Sam finally cracked a smile. “I like her.” Turning to Alex, she asked, “What’s your name?”

“Cat. Cat Sullivan,” Alex introduced herself. “And you are?”

“Sam. That’s Victor. You met Ray already. Then we have Tasha, Jay, and Eric,” she said, motioning to each of them as she went down the line.

“Nice to meet you. Always good to get to know the regulars.”

“Right,” Victor agreed. “Well, if you’re ever looking for a chance to hang out with a few other like-minded friends, let us know. We might have an event that could interest you.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. Once a month event—be a shame to miss it.”

“Let me know when it is,” Alex shrugged. “If I can get off work, I’m down to see for myself.”

“Why don’t you give us your number?” Sam asked, and Alex was fairly certain there’d be background checks running on her soon enough—at least if Sam had any say.

After a moment’s hesitation, Alex finally gave in. “Fine.”

\---

A few days later—after, Alex assumed, they had gone through as many checks on Cat Sullivan as they could—she found Sam and Victor waiting for her once more after her shift looking much friendlier than they had the last time. “We’re gonna be out of town for a few days, but next weekend is the event we were telling you about. We’ll send a location closer to Friday night, but do try to get off work for it.”

“I’m sure I can get someone to cover for me. Have a safe trip.”

“Thanks. Oh, and Cat?”

“Yeah?”

“This is invitation only,” Sam clarified.

“And dress to impress,” Victor added. “We might want to introduce you around.” He didn’t mention that the clientele at these events was a decidedly different crowd than the low-level grunts they hung out with at the bar. Sure, Tasha made appearances as Sam’s on-again, off-again date (and she held her own), but guys like Ray and Eric wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation with the lawyers and consultants and politicians that roamed the halls of their closed-door events. Of course, by any objective measure, Cat didn’t belong either. But thanks to some digging, Sam had managed to find out that Cat had been recruited by labs at MIT, Harvard, and Yale for the promising strides she’d made in bioengineering. Sure, she’d ended up dropping out of undergrad before she ever got a degree, but Lillian was always scouting for new scientific talent; the others, well, they were donors. And they were useful, but not in the same way someone like Cat might be.

“Got it. Thanks.”

When Alex got back to her apartment that night, she found a letter waiting under her door:

_Dear Catharine,_

_I hope you’re doing well. Things at home are okay, nice and quiet. You know how it gets after the tourists leave for the summer. Are you doing okay? You know I worry about you out there on your bike weaving in and out of busy city traffic. How’s the job hunt going? Have you given any more thought to going back to school? I still think you could do bigger things, sweetheart._

_I’ll let you go now; I’m sure you’re busy. But if you ever find some time, it wouldn’t kill you to call your mother. I worry about you._

_Love,_   
_Mom_

Figuring she might as well try since it wasn’t as late in National City, Alex pulled out her phone and called “Mom.”

“Catharine?” came a woman’s voice. Alex thought she might recognize it—maybe one of the codebreakers? Agent Lace?

“Mom? How are you?”

“How am I?” the woman laughed. “How are you? Did you get my letter?”

“I did,” Alex confirmed. “It was good to hear from you.”

“You can call whenever you need anything, you know that, right?”

“I do…” Alex paused, trying to figure out what level of security they were operating at for this phone call. “You know I worry about…disturbing you.”

“You always did like to worry,” the woman laughed. “And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing! But I’ve always worked to keep you safe, haven’t I?”

“You have.”

“So tell me about your life! What’s going on? Last I heard you were starting a new job.”

“Mhm,” Alex nodded, kicking off her shoes and pants and crawling into bed. “The job is okay. I’m making new friends. The other bartenders and servers are really nice, and I’m getting to know the regulars. Some of them actually invited me to hang out with them next weekend.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, apparently it’s pretty formal, though, so I’ll need to go shopping.” The woman laughed. “I know, I know, shopping’s never been my favorite. But at least I’ll be getting out and about.”

“That’s nice. Do you know much about them? What do they do for a living? Do they live nearby?”

“I don’t know them that well yet, but there’s a woman Sam and her partner Victor, and they said they’d help me meet some more people in the area.”

“That’s very helpful of them, dear.”

“Mhm. They hang out with a whole group of friends at the bar most nights. Ray is a little…silly, then Jay and Eric and Tasha seem fine, I don’t know. They’re not too talkative, at least not when Sam’s around.”

“As long as you’re making friends, I’m happy.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Don’t ‘yes, Mom,’ me, Catharine,” the woman chided her. “I’m sending you a care package. Will you be around if it arrives tomorrow afternoon?”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure I stay around the apartment.”

“Great. Let me know that you got it, okay?”

“I will. Night, Mom.”

“Goodnight, Catharine. I love you.”

“Love you too,” Alex sighed, hanging up the phone and settling back into the pillows.

\---

The next day, a large box arrived with a few more formal outfits—all of them made from the DEO’s special bulletproof fabric—along with a few tins of cookies, teas, and coffee beans. Buried in a few of the teabags in the box of the citrus tea—Alex’s least favorite—she found a few more bugs, a mini signal jammer, and a silver ear cuff that she suspected was more than just decorative.

Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text: “Thanks, Mom! I appreciate everything you sent. If you’re going to send another, let me know. I have a few things from home I might want.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does for Maggie what chapter 1 does for Alex (so it's a bit slower, building up her character as well as the role she'll be playing in Metropolis), but next chapter which will be up on Tuesday or Wednesday morning finally launches us into the action and interaction that will speed the story up quite a bit!   
> Though if you've got thoughts/comments on this chapter, even without a ton of action, I'd still love to hear them :)

“Why is step one of my plan always to seduce someone?” Maggie whined, throwing her file back down onto Kate’s desk.

“Because it always works,” Kate answered, smiling wanly back up at Maggie. 

“You know one of these days I could have a girlfriend who would be more than a little annoyed about this.” She didn’t mention the fact that Emily left her because of a situation exactly like this one. 

“And yet, you don’t.”

“I could.”

“And one day I could be married to something other than this agency. But here we sit.”

“It already has your last name,” Maggie teased, gesturing at the Kane Investigations business cards on Kate’s desk, but she finally relented with a loud huff. “Fine. But you don’t get to complain when I break a guy’s hand this time.”

Kate just sighed and shook her head. She didn’t want Maggie getting groped out in the field either, but the sheer number of hands, fingers, and wrists the woman managed to break was truly astounding. Of course, when she could stomach the target, it helped. After all, she wasn’t meant to get too close, just close enough to slip bugs and trackers onto someone, maybe pull files from computers while they slept.

“At least try not to break hands. This is supposed to be a long-term mission,” Kate reminded Maggie.

“I know, I know. Meet someone. Seduce them. Infiltrate terrorist organization. Plant all sorts of bugs. Destroy the bad guys.”

“By god, it’s like you’ve found the solution for world peace,” Kate teased. 

“Ah yes. My cleavage.”

“That’s the can-do attitude I like to see, Sawyer!”

Maggie grumbled about it, but she still made a point of picking up the file, intent on familiarizing herself with all of the details she might need to know in advance of Friday’s event. Even though the thought of having to attend an alien fight club made her stomach churn, she knew that it was a necessary first step in making the kind of contacts she would need to slip into their ranks and help bring down the Metropolis branch of Cadmus. 

Her main targets were partners, Samantha (Sam) Wheeler and Victor Holmes, who were working under Lillian Luthor to stir up anti-alien sentiment in Metropolis. From the intel they’d been able to gather, it seemed Sam and Victor met serving in the military and remained close in the years following their tours of duty. Both of them were obviously well-trained in combat and had advanced the ranks in the military quite rapidly, and Sam had a law degree on top of everything. Most recently, they appeared to be gathering followers in Metropolis, surrounding themselves with a small group of individuals Maggie assumed would be made to take the fall for anything they might be caught doing. 

For the next several weeks (Kate had prepared her for months just in case), she would be Maria Sterling, a consultant specializing in risk assessment who saw too much of the damage wrought during the intergalactic fights brought to this planet by “superheroes” like Superman and Supergirl. No matter how much crime they stopped, they still attracted villains and disasters far worse than what they prevented to the cities they claimed as their own. 

Maria had been engaged once, but her fiancé broke it off after she cheated on him—that detail stung a little, unearthing several painful memories that Maggie had tried to move on from. In a far cry from her day-to-day life, Maggie would be playing a member of high society. Maria was more likely to be found in luxury brand athletic wear in an expensive pilates class or a spin studio than out with the masses jogging in the streets. Flirty to those who won her favor but frequently accused of being cold, Maria had few close friends outside her inner circle. She was in Metropolis scouting out new locations for a possible office of her consulting firm and would find her way to the events through word-of-mouth from like-minded peers. 

On Wednesday night, Maggie shipped out in a first class seat on a redeye to Metropolis as Maria, complete with designer luggage filled with clothing expensive enough to make her nervous and a set of keys to a luxury apartment in downtown Metropolis that had already been properly set up by the agency and a car Kate had assured her she “wouldn’t be able to miss.” 

\---

Maggie tried hard not to let her jaw drop out in public—after all, Maria would be used to this kind of lifestyle—but between the limo that had picked her up from the airport, the all black Audi that unlocked with a click of her keys, and the apartment big enough to fit three of hers inside of it, she couldn’t help but be a little astonished. Perhaps getting to live here for a few weeks would make up for the awful bigots she’d have to schmooze with most nights…probably not, but at least she had almost two whole days of freedom before she had to go meet them on Friday.

After a final sweep of the apartment for any bugs, Maggie set up all of the equipment Kate had sent her in with, then began unpacking her suitcases and familiarizing herself with the layout of the space. She found even more clothing in the closets—all, she assumed, already treated with Kate’s special synthetic coating to make them bulletproof and flame resistant—and a fully stocked fridge and bathroom already set up. 

Pulling out the new phone she had for this mission, she texted her “boss”: “Just got to Metropolis. Will start scouting locations soon and keep you updated.”

Within seconds, her phone chimed with a response: “Sounds good. How about a phone call on Saturday afternoon your time?”

“That should work.”

“Talk to you then.”

With that settled, Maggie forced herself out of the apartment, figuring she should try to stay up until a reasonable hour to avoid the worst of the jetlag. Realizing that she needed to be in character, she reluctantly changed into a pair of nice black pants and a white silk blouse, though she refused to put on any of the heels that had been picked out for her, finding one of only two pairs of flats tucked into her closet and pulling them on. Grabbing the keys, however, left her significantly more excited. Of course she would miss her motorcycle, but a sports car wasn’t exactly a step down; after all, the last time she went undercover, she’d been a soccer mom stuck driving a beat up hunter green minivan for three weeks. 

As it turned out, driving in a busy city in a sports car was significantly less fun than imagined, so Maggie let herself travel out to the surrounding towns and zip down highways, exploring all the routes in and out of town. She justified it with the excuse that it would be good to know her way around in case of emergencies, though she also knew if she were ever truly stuck, Kate would have a damn helicopter in for her before she could even get her shit packed up and ready to go. But the driving kept her busy and woke her up enough to feel ready for dinner. 

Trying to keep up appearances, she went on Yelp and, for the first time in her life, filtered the results by best reviews and most expensive. After a few calls around, she found one that had a table for one—she could almost hear the pity in the woman’s voice and tried to ignore it—available for 7 o’clock. So she made her way over, driving through the tight grid of Metropolis’ roads, nearly colliding with some redhead careening around the corner on a bike growling obscenities under her breath. 

Over dinner, which ended up being delicious, though possibly not worth the exorbitant cost, Maggie let herself relax as she took in the restaurant’s clientele, trying to remember faces in time for the event on Friday. She jotted down cryptic notes in her small notebook, along with scheduling reminders that would help make sure it looked innocuous enough if it ever fell into the wrong hands. The next morning, she had an appointment with a real estate agent about getting the process started for looking into office space for sale or rent in the city, then Kate had scheduled an appointment for Maggie to have her hair and nails done in advance of the event that night. 

By the time she got back to the apartment, she was too tired to even try staying awake any longer, so she set an alarm and let herself sink into luxuriously soft sheets as sleep overtook her.

\---

The next day, Maggie got to experience the joys of a very fancy shower and espresso machine—even if she did nearly set off the smoke alarm after a bit of a misfire with the machine. But honestly, who expected someone to be put together enough to read directions before their morning caffeine? After a long, steamy shower, Maggie forced herself into yet another formal outfit—even putting on heels this time—and drove herself over to the real estate office.

“You must be Ms. Sterling,” a receptionist greeted her as she walked into the fifth floor office space. 

“Yes, yes, I am,” Maggie nodded, trying not to look overly friendly despite the young woman’s charming smile (and rather perfect arms…). She followed her as she was led to a large office down the hallway. 

“Ms. Sterling, I’m Kent Richardson. It’s so nice to meet you,” Kent greeted her with a smile that was slightly too wide to be genuine, revealing a row of perfectly bleached teeth. Then again, Maggie reasoned, perhaps this sort of fawning treatment was just what money bought.

“Nice to meet you as well,” Maggie replied, extending her hand to Kent, then allowing herself to be led over to a small table set up in front of a large computer monitor. 

“I thought we could go through a few of the options I pulled for you in here first before I take you out to start scouting locations in person. I’d like to get an idea of what your preferences are to narrow my own list. Of course, if you’d prefer to see them all in person, I’m happy to do that too.”

Damn, definitely the money. He was probably out to make a small killing in commission, though if his own office and designer watch and suit meant anything, he didn’t exactly need it—at least not enough to leave Maggie feeling guilty for stringing him along during the mission. Plus, god knows if she needed to stay longer, Bruce would be more than happy to hand over a check for a month’s rent to keep her cover—he was always the more readily generous partner at Kane Agencies, even if he liked to keep his name off the business cards and out of the tabloids, at least in connection with this particular venture. 

“I think going through the first few here sounds good. I’m sure neither of us have all day,” she added with an airy laugh she thought Maria might use quite frequently. 

“There really aren’t enough hours in the day,” Kent agreed, shaking his head slightly as he hooked up his laptop to the large screen, waiting as the display image flickered to life. “Alright, well, based on the estimated numbers you sent me, I pulled out a selection of small- to mid-sized office spaces across the city. Now, I understand that you cater to a…certain type of clientele.” 

Yes, Maggie thought, filthy rich and looking to protect their assets and businesses at any cost. “Mhm,” she nodded.

“With that in mind, I narrowed down the list of neighborhoods a bit. I figure you’re probably not in the market for offices in one of our…gentrifying neighborhoods? Perhaps something a bit more established. Though I’ve provided plenty of options that range the gamut from the sleek, ultramodern aesthetics of downtown Metropolis, to a more traditional feel in some of the buildings from Metropolis’ historic old city sectors.”

Seeing that Kent was clearly waiting on her opinion, Maggie suggested, “Why don’t you give me a feel for the options, then I can give you a better sense of what I do and don’t like.”

“That sounds perfect, Ms. Sterling.” 

Maggie sat back as he began clicking through photos and floorplans of the first option—a large floor in one of the more “modern” buildings complete with chrome accents around glass walls and paint colors that probably had names like “steel.” She noticed there were absolutely no prices provided and wondered if this was a trick of sorts—perhaps Kent thinking he could pull something over on her as a young woman—or if this really was how the other half lived. 

“What did you think?” Kent asked, gesturing at a picture of the first location.

“Uh, you know, since so many of our clients value privacy and discretion, perhaps something with walls—not made of glass, I mean—would be preferable.”

“Right, right, of course,” he agreed, flicking over to one of the more traditional options. Located in the oldest section of town, the building was red brick, and on the smaller side, but, Kent explained, the top three floors were all for rent. Despite the building’s age, he assured her, it was ADA-compliant, and its more modern elevators could be programmed to ensure that only those individuals with keycard access could reach their floors. 

Thinking through Maria’s business, Maggie let herself fall into the role, slowly shedding her own worldviews in favor of Maria’s. No longer was cost an issue; she wanted a place that would not only get the job done, but also look classy, pristine, home to people smart and talented enough to advise clients on how best to handle their big decisions. 

“I think two floors max,” Maggie declared. “The main floor—or the only floor, depending on the option—should be large enough to accommodate a welcoming reception area. Not so welcome that we have more than a chair or two—we book appointments in advance; we don’t make our clients wait—but a reception desk, flowers, artwork on the wall.”

“Yes, yes, of course. I think I have just the space for you, Ms. Sterling!” With a nod from Maggie, Kent pulled up the next office. “This was previously a law firm that recently downsized after losing two of its three name partners to a larger firm in Opal City, so it’s already set up in a way that I believe would be conducive to your kind of business, Ms. Sterling. You’ll see they already have a reception area like the kind you describe, though the artwork will leave with them.”

“We have our own,” Maggie replied airily, waving her hand to dismiss his concerns.

“Right, of course. Then there are hallways on either side leading back to offices. Right now it’s set up so that there are larger offices for the partners—the corners for name partners, and the other exterior offices with views for the senior lawyers and unnamed partners—plus a cluster of smaller shared work spaces for the junior associations, though you would, of course, be free to change that around.”

“Do changes to the layout of the space need to be run through anyone?” Maggie asked, jotting notes down in a small moleskin notebook Kate had handed to her on her way out. “We have our own contractors we trust for renovations.”

“You’ll need to get permits from the city for any large-scale projects, but the building’s owners have been rather open to renovations, so long as they don’t decrease property value.”

“Of course,” Maggie nodded in understanding. 

“Now, one of the biggest draws of this space is that, having been used as an office for so many years, it already comes equipped with many of the amenities you might want. It has a mid-sized conference room, as well as two smaller offices that could be used for private meetings, as well as a kitchenette with a fridge, sink, dishwasher, and room for things like a coffee maker and water cooler if you wanted them.”

“That all sounds quite nice,” Maggie agreed. “I have a few other appointments today, but why don’t you pull together a list of similar options to that one, and we can make plans to visit them next week? And if you could send me a list of a few options before then, I’d like to check in with our home office.”

“I’ll have them to you by close of business, Ms. Sterling. Now, for next week, are there specific times that work best for you?”

“Let’s start with Tuesday at 10am, and we’ll make other appointments based on how well that first set of visits goes.”

“That sounds good. I’ll have my secretary send everything to you to confirm before then. Thank you again for coming out here today. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“And you as well.”

And with another handshake, Maggie made her way through the lobby, down the elevator, and back into the street, letting herself into her car and taking a few moments to breathe deeply before getting back on the road. Figuring it wouldn’t hurt to learn how to use her own kitchen, Maggie drove back to her apartment to kill the last few hours before she needed to attend to the hair and nail appointments Kate had made for her.

\---

Not normally one for pampering—after all, her hair was normally going to end up back under a motorcycle helmet, and it wasn’t like long nails did her any good—Maggie was surprised at just how relaxed she felt through her afternoon of appointments. When she’d walked in, a woman had quickly greeted her and hung up her coat, then led her upstairs where the lighting was warm and low and the air smelled faintly of eucalyptus and something else Maggie couldn’t quite identify. She was shuffled into a soft robe, then led over to a reclining chair with a small footbath of hot water in which to soak her feet before her pedicure. Once she had settled in, the woman returned with a mug of hot tea and cucumbers for her eyes. 

Over the course of what could well have been several hours—between the dim lighting and the frequent suggestions to “relax, close your eyes,” Maggie really didn’t know how much time had passed—a team of skilled women buffed and polished and painted Maggie’s nails before handing her over to another team for a deep-conditioning and blowout and finally to a team for makeup, which Kate had apparently added on without telling her. By the time she was finished, she felt like she’d gone through the Miss Congeniality treatment—not that she thought she really needed it—but she was also much more relaxed than she normally was going into her first risky event of a new mission. 

As it turned out, several hours had indeed passed, so she only had time for a quick bite to eat before pulling on her form-fitting black cocktail dress and carefully sliding into a pair of black Louboutin heels, noting with a smirk that Kate must have instructed the salon to ensure that her nails would match the signature red soles of her heels, which had been displayed prominently along with the selection of formal dresses in her closet.

After going over the list of names she could drop—all individuals conveniently located in National City and Gotham—Maggie took a deep breath and steeled herself for the evening. She ran through the reasons Maria had for not supporting alien rights, for willingly attending an alien fight club—that one was easier; after all, she’d just loved Roulette’s formal events back in National City. With one last check of her hair and makeup, she made her way down to the building’s parking lot, inputting the address into her GPS, and driving off to the outskirts of town.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And they meet!
> 
> Loved your comments on the last two chapters! Can't wait to hear what you think!

Surveying herself in the mirror, Alex had to admit: she looked pretty good. Since Sam and Victor hadn’t given her specifics on what to wear when she was told to “dress to impress,” she had gone with a black tuxedo, complete with a black vest, bowtie, and all—not only did she look excellent in it, but she figured it would give her a better chance at running and fighting properly if it came down to it. 

As she finished applying her eye makeup, her phone chimed with a text from Victor: “Car will be at your place in 5.”

With a quick confirmation text back to him, Alex grabbed her phone, keys, and wallet, then headed downstairs, not willing to risk a sprained ankle incurred from bolting down four flights of stairs at the last minute—especially not when her only means of transportation required her to have full working use of her legs, ankles included. 

When the car arrived, Alex was slightly shocked to see Tasha, having been under the impression that she was the only person other than Sam and Victor invited, though it all made a bit more sense when she noticed Sam’s hand coming to rest on Tasha’s thigh and squeezing slightly before going back to the steering wheel to pull back out onto the road. This configuration left Alex alone in the backseat with Victor, which could have been worse, she supposed. After all, he had at least been a bit quicker to accept her in the beginning than Sam.

“I like the tuxedo, Cat,” he complimented, his voice low and his smile just a little too friendly for Alex’s taste. “We’re matching now.”

“Huh, would you look at that?” Alex laughed, trying to remind herself that Cat would likely be a little nervous, but also excited about whatever night of xenophobic company she had to look forward to. “Do I get any hints on where we’re going?”

“Nope,” Tasha answered, turning to look back at her from the front seat. “My first time was a total surprise too.”

“Lots of first times that night,” Victor teased, earning a glare in the rearview mirror from Sam. “Anyhow…you’ll see soon enough, Cat. I’m just glad you took our advice about your attire to heart. It would’ve been a shame if, after all that anticipation, we had to leave you behind.”

“So a strict dress code, then?”

“It’s not necessarily enforced,” Sam finally spoke. “But I only like to be seen with those who know better than to try to skirt the rules.”

Alex nodded, but in her head she was cataloguing all of the ways Sam seemed distinctly different now. In the bar, her voice was rougher, her words full of menace and cocky bravado. Here, the bravado was certainly still there, though it was colder. She strung together her words with purpose, her lips rounding around them, making it sound like she’d just walked out of some prep school elocution class.

The rest of the ride passed rather uneventfully. Sam and Victor breezed through questions from Alex about their days away, and Alex gave no more than the bare minimum of information about herself, knowing that they knew the answers to all of their questions already from having looked extensively into Cat’s background—a hunch that had been confirmed through a coded message received from “Mom,” who had plenty of alerts set up to track Cat Sullivan’s various profiles and accounts. 

“Welcome,” Victor finally announced, the corners of his mouth pulling out and up as he grinned broadly at her.

Alex still couldn’t quite tell what was going on—there was a large building, but there weren’t exactly any signs indicating an “anti-alien gala” happening inside. Glancing around, Alex made note of the expensive cars surrounding them and the handful of very well-dressed individuals making their way to the building. She tried to remember faces, knowing that even though Sam and Victor had been her first “in” into this world, she still needed to create a much broader web of contacts if she wanted to be able to provide enough information to the DEO to help bring this whole branch of Cadmus down once and for all. 

Victor walked around to her side of the car, opening the door and holding out his hand to her, just as Sam had done for Tasha. Alex desperately hoped Victor didn’t think this was a date and was simply trying to be courteous. Relief washed over her when Victor didn’t attempt to hold her hand and simply motioned for her to follow Sam and Tasha to the building.

She felt her mouth drop open in surprise as the two armed security guards swung open the doors after greeting Sam and Victor by name. It wasn’t that the building was particularly shabby, but the exterior gave no indication that she would find a veritable ballroom inside, complete with ornate decorations, broad columns, a dance floor, several well-stocked bars and buffet tables, and what looked like Metropolis’ best-dressed elite. As they pressed farther into the space, Alex noticed a large stage set up in the back set off by what looked like thick glass, but otherwise there were no indications that this gathering was anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps she’d misunderstood Sam and Victor; perhaps this was simply a gala, rather than an event. In any case, it would certainly still be a pivotal moment for cementing her place in Sam and Victor’s circles and beginning to maker her own contacts. 

“Let us introduce you around, Cat,” Victor whispered. “We have plenty of time before the show starts.”

Ah, there it was. Something would happen—something, Alex assumed, that would turn her stomach in the worst of ways. “Sounds good. Lead the way.”

Over the next hour, Alex allowed herself to be passed around from person to person, shaking hands with doctors and lawyers, accountants and congressmen, trying not to let her utter disdain for everything they stood for show. She put on a show, smiling and laughing at their anti-alien jokes, throwing in a few jabs of her own, though being certain to keep everything classier than the comments she’d made to Ray in the bar. After all, this was a different segment of Cadmus’ supporters, and she needed to blend in with them just as well if there were any hope of having Sam and Victor bring her back again. 

“She’s doing quite well, don’t you think?” Victor whispered to Sam, pulling her back slightly as they left Cat to deal with the former governor’s chief of staff, who was known not only for being a bit too handsy, but also for being extraordinarily long-winded. 

“She’ll do,” Sam shrugged.

“Come on, Sam, she managed to get Dirk to laugh. I think I saw dust come out,” Victor pressed her. 

“She can be charming, sure,” Sam relented, “but she’s a bartender, Vic; that’s her job. I’ll be pleased with her when she starts being useful.”

“You mean once Lillian approves?”

“It wouldn’t hurt if she let some of her science background show.”

“Well, why don’t you ask her about it?”

“And reveal that we ran dozens of searches on her already? For all the ‘charm’ you seem to see in her, she’s barely told us anything of substance.”

“She could say the same about you—minus the charming bit, of course,” Victor teased.

“I don’t need to impress anyone these days.”

“No, you don’t need to do anything. But let’s give her a little time. In a city basically run by Superman, would you be that open as one of his biggest critics?”

Sam just shrugged, even though she understood Victor’s point. Really she just wanted the girl to show a little something more—something that would make her useful enough to Lillian, maybe something dark, something to give her depth. 

\---

Across the room, Maggie carefully extracted herself from a distinctly unpleasant conversation she’d gotten trapped in after making what she thought was a simple joke to a man at the buffet. Apparently he’d heard it as an invitation to a lengthy dialogue about President Marsdin’s Alien Amnesty Act, and Maggie had been forced to grit her way through a smile as she nodded at his uninformed commentary and forced herself not to smack his hand away from her forearm, where he’d allowed it to settle after a quip he clearly thought was particularly witty. 

But she’d just seen an opening in Sam and Victor’s inner circle, and to waste such an opportunity would be to ignore her mission—at least that was her justification for running out on Richard or Dick or whatever the fuck his name was. The pair had come in with two other women—one on Sam’s arm and the other wandering freely, making her way easily through the throngs of people. She knew better than to try to go straight to Sam or Victor, though from what she’d read, she might have been able to flirt her way to a closer relationship with Victor, which had been the tactic Kate proposed. But she figured getting to one of the other women might be her best bet for getting an invitation back to meet the pair. Sam’s girlfriend—or date, Maggie didn’t want to assume—seemed not to leave Sam’s side for long, but the other woman—a rather striking woman, even if she was a terrible person—seemed to hold her own in the crowds. And it was now, seeing the woman clearly looking for an out from whatever conversation she was in the middle of, that Maggie made her entrance.

“Excuse me,” Maggie asked, gently brushing her hand across the woman’s shoulder. “But would you mind helping me with something?”

Alex’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of the rather stunning woman standing behind her—from the tight black dress with a slit that ran high up her thigh, to the smoky eyes and the way her lips, painted a striking red color, curled up slightly when Alex couldn’t help herself from staring. “Sorry, what was that?” Alex asked, worried she might have missed something during her gaping.

With a smirk, Maggie explained, her voice low, “It seemed like you needed an out.”

“Ah, yeah,” Alex shrugged, rubbing at the back of her neck. She hoped she hadn’t been too obvious in her distaste for the man.

As if sensing her thoughts, Maggie continued, “As someone who was going through a similar experience, I recognized the subtly pained look.”

“Right, right,” Alex nodded, breathing out a small sigh of relief. “Well, I’m glad you found your way away too.”

“All thanks to seeing you,” Maggie drawled, figuring that maybe she could make this all a little less painful by letting her mark be a woman. After all just because Maria had been engaged to a man didn’t mean that she couldn’t be with a woman now. She could be bi or pan or a late-to-the-party lesbian—any number of options really, none of which involved her having to flirt with Victor.

Alex swallowed harshly, willing herself to be cool. After all, she reminded herself, this woman was a xenophobic Cadmus supporter. She might be beautiful, but she would be a contact at best. Of course, she’d dated and even slept with people on deep undercover missions before… “You’re too kind,” Alex finally managed. “I’m Cat, by the way.”

“Maria. I suppose you should know the name of your savior, right?” 

“Mm, suppose so. Now, in repayment, shall I get you a drink?” Alex offered, smiling internally when Maria’s eyes raked up and down her with obvious interest before she nodded her agreement. 

As they walked over to one of the bars, Maggie asked, “So, are you excited about tonight’s entertainment?”

“Oh, uh, this is my first time. At this particular event, I mean,” Alex corrected, hoping Maria would attribute her awkward fumbling to her nerves at being near a gorgeous woman, rather than her newness to all of this. She needed Maria—and everyone in the room, really—to believe that she was just as invested and involved with the cause as they all were, even if she was a bit new to Cadmus itself. 

“I see,” Maggie nodded, running her tongue across her teeth as she grinned wickedly at Alex. “A virgin, then.”

Biting back an embarrassed grimace, Alex stepped closer, cheering in her head when Maria’s eyes seemed to darken slightly. Her voice low and a little rough, she whispered, “If you’re so experienced, why don’t you tell me what’s in store for me?”

“For you in particular? I think that’ll depend on how you play your cards,” Maggie purred back, her hand coming to rest on Cat’s upper arm as she tried not to shiver at the feeling of rather well-defined muscles tensing beneath her touch. Seeing that Cat didn’t seem to be able to form coherent words at the moment, Maggie figured she’d give her a break. “As far as the event, it’s a show—a tournament-style fight to the death between a few aliens from around the city,” she shrugged, trying to look unaffected since she’d had far too much difficult in her attempts to seem genuinely excited. She guessed Maria could think of herself as too classy for this kind of violence; after all, she was meant to be risk-averse, and any kind of fighting and killing a newly protected group of citizens seemed more than a little risky. 

Alex felt her stomach lurch at the news of what the exact nature of their entertainment for the evening would be. Trying to pull herself together, she bobbed her head up and down a few times. “Well, that’s, uh, that’s certainly going to be a new experience for me.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to read Cat’s reaction. If she’d have known any better, she could have sworn the woman looked upset, a flash of anger in her eyes. Then again, maybe it was just the same kind of deep-rooted hatred she’d heard seeping into the voices of the folks she’d spoken to earlier in the evening. “I’ve not been to these events in Metropolis either,” Maggie admitted, “though I did see one in National City.”

Alex spun back to face Maria, trying to figure out if the reference to National City was meant to be any kind of veiled threat, some hint that Maria recognized her. But the woman’s face was perfectly neutral, and if she were here to send a warning, Alex suspected she’d want it to be clearer. Plus, Cadmus really did have quite the following in National City, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that not everyone was local. She did make a mental note to get this information to J’onn, at the very least. “So, Maria, are you new to Metropolis then?”

“I am,” Maggie confirmed. “Here on business for at least a few weeks as I scout out new office spaces for my company.”

“Your company? Very impressive.”

“Ah, well, not quite,” Maggie admitted with a sheepish smile. “I’m a senior partner at Bosch Consulting, but I report up to our CEO. I’d be manning the Metropolis branch, though, and if all goes well, it could soon be Bosch & Sterling…though I think it’d sound better as Sterling & Bosch” she added, feeling the need to impress this woman. “And you?”

“Oh, uh,” Alex paused, laughing nervously. She’d been surrounded by this type of person all night, but somehow none of them had cared to ask what she did, and she found herself more than a little worried about how Maria might react when she found out Cat wasn’t as big of a deal as she might have believed. “I’m a bartender.”

“A welcome change from some of my other conversation partners tonight,” Maggie replied with a wink. 

“Cat!” Victor called out, joining her and another woman he’d not seen before beside the bar. “I see you’re making friends all on your own. Care to introduce me to the lovely lady?”

Alex bit back a growled “no,” realizing she had no reason to be possessive over a woman simply because they’d flirted for a few minutes. “Victor, this is Maria. And I hate to tell you, but she did ruin the surprise of tonight’s events for me.”

Maggie cheered silently at this introduction—not only for how easy it now was to make contact with one of her main targets, but also at the way that Cat had made it seem like she was already rather immersed in the world of Cadmus and its anti-alien events. 

“Nice to meet you, Maria,” Victor greeted, extending his hand, then drawing Maria’s to his mouth to kiss lightly. Both Maggie and Alex tried not to gag. 

“Have you been before?” Victor asked. “I think I’d remember having seen you here.”

“Ah, I’m afraid I’ve only been in National City. I’m still new to Metropolis—just arrived a day or two ago.”

“Oh, so you know Roulette?” Victor asked with a grin. The rumors about her events travelled far and wide. 

“Mhm, she puts on quite the show,” Maggie answered with a small laugh. 

“That she does,” Victor agreed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few more people to get to before the show begins. I jut wanted to check on our Cat here, make sure she was playing nice.”

Alex rolled her eyes, figuring the gesture was in character enough for Cat, but Maggie just grinned. “She’s been playing very nicely.”

“Well, then,” Victor cleared his throat, “I suppose I won’t keep her from you any longer.” Once Maggie had turned her back to him, Victor sent a wink in Alex’s direction before making his way across the floor. 

“How long have you known Victor?” Maggie asked, sipping at her drink.

“Oh, uh, a couple months,” Alex answered honestly. “He and Sam are regulars at the bar where I work, and I guess they took a liking to me.”

“I’m sure there’s a lot to like,” Maggie flirted. “Maybe I should come see this bar of yours too? I bet you make excellent drinks.”

“Yeah? I don’t know if it’s in your kind of neighborhood,” Alex admitted, though she suspected it might not be bad to broaden her network in some other ways, even if it meant adding yet another body to Sam and Victor’s posse. 

“I’m sure I could find myself a pair of jeans.”

“In that case, I suppose I should give you my number. Make sure you find your way.”

“Very smooth, Cat.” Maggie pulled out her phone and listened as Cat dictated her number. She sent a quick text as Maria, letting the woman save her number as well. “Text me whenever you’re ready to get that drink, alright?”

“Will do.”

With a wink and a quick kiss to Cat’s cheek, Maggie made her way back through the crowds, figuring it was best to watch from far away lest Cat see how disgusted she was sure to look during the fight, though there was a small part of her that wanted to believe Cat might wear a similar expression—but that was humanizing her targets, she reminded herself, trying to squash down the hope that flickered in her chest. Beautiful women, women with whom she felt something, they could all still be just as terrible as the rest of the world, and she would do better to remember that fact. They’d all heard the horror stories about spies falling in love with marks, making sloppy decisions as they compromised the integrity of their mission and often put themselves at risk. She wouldn’t become another warning. So she grabbed another drink or two and settled in at a table as far back as she could manage, hoping the distance and the burn of hard liquor would distract her during the barbaric games to come.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Check ins with their home agencies before the date
> 
> Enjoy this long chapter for the weekend! Chapter 5 will be up on Tuesday!

“Morning, Mom,” Alex yawned stretching out in her bed as she held her cellphone up to her ear.

“Catharine, what a pleasant surprise!” the same female agent as before answered. “How’s your weekend?”

“Fine,” Alex answered, though honestly her dreams had been haunted by the gruesome sights from the night before, from the way the crowd of Metropolis’ well-to-do elite had roared in anticipation and a kind of gory glee. “I went to this event thing last night with those new friends I was telling you about last time.”

“Oh, is that so? What kind of event?”

“Very fancy. Lots of free food and drinks to get us all excited for the show.”

“What kind of show?”

“Not your thing, Mom,” Alex forced out a laugh. Even though she was fairly certain J’onn would have gotten a message to her if her phone had been tapped, and even though she had her signal jammer set up and had swept for bugs this morning, she still didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. “Do you remember that woman with the snake tattoos I used to know?”

“Uh, vaguely?”

“Well, anyway, she used to do some event planning stuff back in National City, but some of her friends did a party here just like it. So that was my night.”

“Sounds nice, sweetie. Did you meet any new friends?”

“Well, there was this girl…” Alex trailed off, trying to make the conversation believable.

“Oh really? Someone you might like?”

“I mean, she was sort of gorgeous. And I think she liked me?”

“What’s her name?”

“You’re not gonna, like, stalk her, right? Mom?”

“No, never,” the woman replied with a silvery laugh. 

“Maria. Maria Sterling,” Alex answered, having done a bit of Facebook stalking that morning after waking up to a friend request from the woman. 

“Is she good enough for my Catharine?”

“She’s very successful, Mom, I’m sure you’d be more proud of her than me,” Alex sighed. “She’s a senior partner at some consulting firm or something.”

“That is impressive, but I know you could be even more successful if you’d just apply yourself.”

“Yes, Mom,” Alex huffed. “I should really get up and get ready. I’ve got a long shift at the bar tonight.”

“Okay, dear. I’ll talk to you soon?”

“Sounds good. Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, have a good day.”

Deciding she could probably stay in bed just a little longer, Alex set an alarm for an hour from then and pulled her sheets up over her eyes to block out the harsh sunlight streaming through the curtains. 

\---

Around noon, Maggie finally managed to drag herself out of bed. Her head pounded and her stomach churned from having drowned out the horrors of last night’s show in glass after glass of hard liquor—something she hadn’t really done since her break up with Emily. Stumbling into the kitchen, clutching a sheet that probably cost more than her leather jacket back home around her, Maggie managed to put on a pot of coffee, only burning her finger once, and dropped two slices of the organic, locally produced bread she found in the fridge into the toaster.

After a bit of plain toast, a cup of coffee, a couple of Advil, and a long shower, Maggie finally felt a little closer to normal. She could still feel a dull ache all through her body, and the idea of having to get dressed in anything other than pajamas sounded distinctly awful, but she managed to at least drag her laptop into bed with her. 

She opened her email first, finding the list of real estate options Kent had sent over to her at the top of her inbox. After shooting a quick “thank you” reply email to him, she opened the links in a row of tabs, then sent the message over to the account Kate had sent up for Maria’s boss at the main office in anticipation of their phone call. Before she could stomach looking through all the real estate pages, she opened Maria’s Facebook, finding a few friend requests from people she’d met the night before, as well as a notification that a Cat Sullivan had accepted her friend request. She tried to remember sending it, but everything from midnight on was rather blurry. As soon as she’d parked her own car and given up formal responsibilities for the evening, she’d let herself dig into the well-stocked liquor cabinet and had, apparently, decided it would be a good idea to send a friend request to the hot woman from the night before. Hot, evil woman, she corrected herself. 

Figuring it still wouldn’t hurt to find out what her potential new target was like, Maggie clicked on Cat’s profile, going through Cat’s photos. Her profile was rather sparse—Maggie sort of expected that—but she found a few of the woman in grease-stained clothes tagged by a local bike shop. And she so wanted to be more in control of her response to the images, but she was only human, and this woman was gorgeous, and, dammit, it had been a little while. Willing herself to close out of the photo of Cat with a white v-neck riding up, revealing a sliver of pale skin and a rather defined v, as she lifted a bike off of a rack, Maggie clicked over to the next photo, finding Cat at a bar—maybe where she worked—then more of Cat at that bar with a few different people rotating in and out of the photos. 

Apparently she’d gotten a bit lost in Cat’s profile, since her scheduled phone call with Kate took her by surprise. After making sure the signal jammer was on and clicking on the white noise machine, Maggie answered. “Hello?”

“Maria?”

“Yes.”

“Is now still a good time for you to talk?” 

“It is,” Maggie confirmed, letting Kate know that it was safe to speak freely.

“How was your night? Did you make any inroads?”

“I did better than that. I made contact with Victor.”

“Wow,” Kate exhaled, clearly impressed. “Not that I didn’t think you had it in ya, Mags, but still—that’s fast, even for you.”

“I think I’ve got my in into their inner circle.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, Cat Sullivan. She’s sort of new to their group, but they’re already bringing her to the most selective events and introducing her to all of their friends, so I’ve got her pegged as a real rising star.”

“So what happened to your typical seduce and plant bugs act?” Kate asked, not that she really minded Maggie finding alternative ways to get close to her marks.

“Who says that’s not what I’m doing?” Maggie asked, her lips curling up into a smile.

“Shit, Maggie,” Kate cursed. “We didn’t build this into any of your backstory. What if someone looks into you and starts thinking that things aren’t adding up?”

“Maria just figured herself out a little later in life,” Maggie answered, not really seeing a problem with it. “It’s not that uncommon.”

“I guess,” Kate sighed, clearly still worried about the possible consequences. 

“Trust me, this isn’t gonna be the part of me that sets off alarm whistles. Plus, Sam is dating Tasha, and Cat is, judging by her tux, gay as fuck, so I think they’re pretty chill with the gays.” 

“I’m trusting you.”

“I can feel the trust radiating off of you,” Maggie teased. “I assume you’ll be doing plenty of background checks on Cat? I went through her Facebook.” She didn’t add that it hadn’t exactly felt like work. 

“Yes, I’ve already sent her name down to our tech squad. I’d like to get you all the information you might need by tonight. You know I don’t like my people out there uninformed.”

“I know. Now, ready for some more names?”

“Always. It’s what I pay you the big bucks for.”

“You pay me adequate bucks,” Maggie laughed, though she still rattled off all of the names she could remember from the night before, having at least had the common sense to jot them down before drinking away her memories of the night. Once she’d finished giving them to Kate, she walked into the bathroom, tucked her phone between her ear and shoulder, then lit a match, quickly setting the piece of paper on fire and watching as the flames licked higher and higher up the paper, the names curling and crumbling into ash until she finally had to drop the last flaming remnants into the toilet before she burnt her fingertips. 

“Last question: how goes the hunt for office space? I saw your email.”

“It’s fine. Kent’s nice enough, and he’s bringing me decent spaces. Can you try to get me numbers for reasonable rent prices in those units? I don’t want to go in uninformed, especially since he’s not giving me any numbers other than square footage and maximum occupancy.”

“Got it. They’ll be in your inbox by tomorrow along with any information we can dig up about the spaces. Won’t have Maria going in there without all the information a risk consultant would have.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. Need anything else?”

“Nah, I’ll just wait on your info about Cat and the offices.”

“I’ll let you know if any of the other names you gave us ping radars too. Text me if you need anything, and we’ll plan for another check-in maybe next weekend or sooner if need be.”

“Got it. Talk to you later.”

“Be safe.”

And with a click, Kate was gone. Maggie quickly went through and erased all traces of their call before walking back over to her bed. She figured even rich consultants deserved a lazy day, so she queued up Maria’s Netflix account and began scrolling through for something decent to watch.

\---

Creeping toward the door, the heaviest wrench she could find from her bike room clutched in her hand, Alex peered through the peephole, finding a man in a delivery uniform outside her door.

“Hello?” Alex answered, not undoing the chain lock and peering through the crack. 

“Cat Sullivan?”

“Who’s asking?”

“I have a secure delivery from a Mr. David E. O’Keefe,” the man replied, holding out a box with her name on it.

Hearing the code word J’onn had given her for this mission—anything from a David E. O’Keefe was to be received as safe—Alex pulled open her door. “What is it?”

“I don’t know, Ms. Sullivan. My job is simply to make sure you get your package. But I’ll need to see ID first.”

“Right, of course,” Alex nodded, shutting the door and locking it before heading back into her bedroom to grab her wallet. When she got back, she handed over Cat’s license and watched as the man scrutinized it before handing over her package and having her sign for it. 

“Have a nice day, Ms. Sullivan.”

“You too,” Alex mumbled, already shutting the door and pulling out the package. For something to have gotten here this quickly, she assumed it probably made it to the outer limits of Metropolis via the Super express, and smiled wistfully, thinking of Kara and wondering how she was doing. Inside the box, she found a small cell phone with a note that read: “4:30pm. 10-15 min max. Be alone.”

That wasn’t creepy, she thought, rolling her eyes. Glancing over at the clock, she found she still had a few minutes to spare, so she walked through her apartment, clicking on signal jammers and putting on music loud enough that any recordings would be rendered useless. Once she was fairly certain she’d taken all the precautions she could, she sat, clutching the phone and waiting for it to ring. As the clock hit 4:30, the phone vibrated in her hand.

“Hello?” Alex answered.

“Agent,” J’onn greeted. “After this call, you will destroy this phone, but I’ve had forces in the area do a full sweep of the area surrounding your building, and I can confirm that it’s secure for the duration of our call.”

“Got it,” Alex nodded. “So…what’d you find?”

“That woman—Maria Sterling—there’s something…off about her.”

“What is it?”

“Her records all seem to check out—they have the proper documentation, and she has plenty of bank accounts and records of investments dating back years. She has social media accounts and articles about her scattered around the Internet, though not too much. But when we tried to tap her phone, we were blocked.”

“Imagine that…someone doesn’t want their phone being tapped,” Alex sighed.

“It’s more than that. Agent Schott was in charge, and he said it was as though he were being blocked in real time. Every time he attempted to override it, it seemed like someone or something on the other end was actively responding to block him in turn.”

“Huh.”

“Which is to say, she may well be someone rather high up in Cadmus. We’ve only seen this level of security when it comes to targets like Roulette and Lillian Luthor herself.” 

“Well shit,” Alex breathed out, kicking herself for thinking that Maria might have been different, might not have been as evil as everyone around her. As it turned out, she was worse. 

“There’s more, Agent.”

“Hit me,” Alex sighed, figuring it couldn’t get much worse. 

“Are you sure, well, are you sure you had the kind of connection you described on your call this morning?” J’onn hedged, choosing his words carefully.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, there are plenty of records of her past relationships, even if they’re not always easy to find. She’s somewhat prominent as a figure, and she had a messy breakup that made it into a few online gossip blogs.”

“And?”

“There’s absolutely nothing about her ever being with a woman.”

“J’onn,” Alex scoffed. “Just because it’s not on record doesn’t mean it’s not true. And just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean she didn’t want it to happen.”

“Are you sure you weren’t, perhaps, projecting?”

“Excuse me.”

“If she is as valuable of a target as we suspect she may be, we cannot risk alienating her,” J’onn clarified, his voice calm. 

“She is the one who hit on me,” Alex protested. “I’m not making things up. Victor saw it too.”

“Is there any chance she simply wanted to get close to you?”

“Why would she want that?” Alex asked. “I’m new, barely even on anyone’s radar yet. I’m not exactly a high-level target.”

“There’s no chance she suspects your identity?”

“I don’t think so,” Alex answered, though she couldn’t help but think of the woman’s National City comments. But then, J’onn had confirmed the details about her past, meaning she really had been in National City. “I’ll be careful, try to hype up the anti-alien sentiment around her and tone down the gay.”

“I’m just asking you to be careful. You could be working with someone as dangerous as Lillian.”

“Well, then, I’ll try not to be a useless lesbian,” Alex huffed. She could hear J’onn breathing deeply on the other end of the line.

“You know I’m not implying that you are. I simply want you to stay vigilant and stay safe.”

“I know,” Alex finally conceded. But she also knew what she felt. And, sure, flirting could be faked, but she really didn’t believe that this was. “Is there anything else?”

“Agent Schott is running a few last-minute checks, but before I give you his final report, I believe there’s someone here who would like to claim one or two of these minutes before our phone time expires.

“Alex!” Kara’s voice suddenly came through the line.

“Kara!” Alex exclaimed. “How are you? Are you being safe? Are you happy? I miss you a lot.”

“I’m fine, always being safe, you know me.” Alex bit back a retort; now wasn’t the time. “Things have been on the quiet side over here, though J’onn’s got eyes on Roulette now. We used your clues from this morning to tap into an ongoing NCPD investigation into her alien fight club ring. Did you know that’s a thing, Alex? Well, I guess you did,” Kara rambled. 

“Yeah, I hope you guys can get it shut down. It’s just…god, it’s disgusting. But I want you to stay far away from her, okay?”

“Yes, Alex,” Kara sighed. “How are you? I worry about you all the time.”

“I’m okay. I’ve learned some new skills,” Alex chuckled. “Bartending and bicycle maintenance.”

“Sounds like a hipster bestseller,” Kara joked. “Are you watching our shows without me?”

“No, sister’s honor,” Alex promised. “I’ve started brand new shows so that I’m not even tempted.”

“Perfect. We’ll marathon everything when you get back.”

“Definitely.”

“Oh…J’onn says he needs the phone back,” Kara told Alex, sounding dejected.

“I guess he’s got me on a timer. But, Kara, I promise I’ll be home as soon as I can be. I love you.”

“Love you too, Alex. Be safe.”

“Always.”

“Alex?” J’onn’s deep voice came through, a real contrast after Kara’s.

“Mhm,” Alex answered, biting back tears that she knew were inappropriate at the moment.

“Winn’s been monitoring her internet activity over the past hour. Again, he hit up against some advanced firewalls, but he was able to make it through for a moment. She’s currently logged into a Gmail account tied to her workplace, and she has tabs open for real estate listings all across Metropolis, which we’re flagging to watch as potential Cadmus headquarters. She also has your Facebook profile open.”

“Sounds good?” Alex answered, feeling as though none of those webpage were out of the ordinary.

After a moment’s pause, she heard J’onn sigh. “Agent Schott would also like me to inform you that she is, at that moment, watching a show called, ‘The L Word.’”

“Ha!” Alex called out triumphantly. “I’m her Marina!”

“Excuse me?”

“Took one look at me, and now she’s diving face-first into the lady pond.” She could just imagine J’onn closing his eyes and rubbing at his temples in the silence that followed her comment. 

“Just don’t be hasty…don’t make assumptions. We all want you to succeed, but we want you to be safe, to be smart.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m your best agent for a reason.”

“I know. Now make sure you pull out the chip from that phone when we’re done and destroy it.”

“Will do. Thanks for the information.”

“Of course.” 

After a brief commotion, Alex heard Kara’s voice crying out from the background: “Love you!” and then Winn: “Hey! Don’t listen to J’onn; I totally believe in your ability to turn Cruella gay!” And then the line went silent as the call cut off at 15 minutes. 

Swallowing the lump in her throat at losing contact with Kara once more, Alex pulled the SIM card out of her phone, smashing it in her bike garage with the heavy wrench she’d thought she might need to attack a delivery man. Then, for good measure, she similarly destroyed the battery and then the full phone, sweeping the parts into a few different trash bags and burying them in scraps from around the house, like the half loaf moldy bread she’d forgotten about and a few greasy bike rags that had probably seen better days. 

\---

“Yes?” Maggie answered her phone, pulling her head out of the insanely comfortable pillows.

“Are you able to talk, Maria?”

“Give me half a second,” Maggie mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she paused The L Word and clicked on her white noise machine and signal jammer. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Cat Sullivan. We’ve spent all afternoon investigating her.”

“Mhm.”

“I don’t think she’s who she says she is. Or at least, she isn’t just who she says she is.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean even Bruce’s guys weren’t able to get access to certain parts of her life. She’s got security blocks set up like we’ve never seen before.”

“Huh.” Maggie considered the information. Even the best of criminals typically left some route unprotected.

“She’s also smart—like, beyond smart. She dropped out of school, but she has patents galore for plenty of groundbreaking advances in bioengineering, though it seems like she’s yet to do anything with them.”

“Fuck,” Maggie swore. “That explains why she’s so valuable to them. I know Lillian was looking for more scientists.”

“Exactly. Which is why we’re making her your third target for this mission.”

“In addition to Sam and Victor?”

“Yes,” Kate confirmed. “If she’s being targeted for the reasons we suspect, she’ll soon be an even more valuable asset than Sam and Victor ever were.”

“Alright. Anything about her I could use?”

“We believe she ran quite a few background checks on you. We don’t have any confirmation that it was her, but we suspect as much.”

“Okay,” Maggie shrugged. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t expected it. 

“One of the things that was being searched about you was your relationship history,” Kate added. If it were simply the two of them hanging out in the offices, she’d absolutely gloat about being right, but right now the safety of one of her best spies (and a damn good friend, if she were being honest) was on the line.

“Oh…” Maggie sighed, wondering if she’d already fucked up this mission.

“So get ready to play a baby gay just taking her first steps out of the closet,” Kate instructed her with a bark of a laugh, trying to find humor in the situation instead of letting it scare her. 

“Right…now, question: can baby gays still be amazing in bed?” Maggie asked, also trying to lighten the mood. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Kate scoffed. “But, in all seriousness, if these checks into you are coming from her, you’re going up against someone with her own set of rather formidable resources—or some really amazing tech. She may have even gotten a glimpse at your computer screen for a moment, though we’ve upped the security to a level that Bruce has deemed nearly impenetrable, so you should be set now.”

“Thanks,” Maggie muttered, hoping Cat hadn’t found her lingering on all those Facebook photos of her.

“Of course. Now stay safe, okay?”

“Yeah, I will,” Maggie promised, listening as Kate hung up the phone. 

Dropping heavily back into the pillows, Maggie groaned. Why did the sexy lady have to be a sexy evil genius? Of course, that just drove her to want to get to the woman even more—to make sure that she went down hard with the rest of her Cadmus cronies, of course, nothing more. So she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Cat: “Hey, it’s Maria. How do you feel about getting that drink sometime soon?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date! And damn....did this get long. Hope you enjoy!

“Not that I don’t appreciate the shine, but what’d the counter ever do to you?” Waverly asked, smiling as Cat seemed to realize that she’d been aggressively scrubbing at the same square foot of the bar in front of her for a significant amount of time now. 

“Sorry, just, just nervous is all,” Alex sighed. She’d managed to put off seeing Maria for a few days—after all, she wanted to make sure her own cover story was secure and that things with Sam and Victor were still proceeding according to plan before she let a new person come into what had quickly become her space, regardless of how not herself she had to be in it. 

“You? Nervous?” Waverly looked slightly incredulous. Cat reminded her a bit of her sister, and nervousness was pretty much the last thing she associated with Wynonna. 

Figuring it would be best to let more people in her life—in Cat’s life—into the same set of lies, she picked at the corners of the rag she’d been using to polish the counter. “It’s a girl—a woman, I mean.”

“Ooh, now I need to know!” Gone was the concern from Waverly’s features, replaced just as quickly with a look of excitement. “Hold on, do you want to tell me over a beer? I can get us drinks…it’s quiet enough.” 

“No, no, I should probably wait for her to get here before I start drinking,” Alex admitted.

“Wait, do I get to meet the mystery woman?”

“Probably. She’s meeting me here.”

After pulling out her phone and sending a quick text to Nicole—“Get down to the bar ASAP! Cat has a date coming here!”—Waverly turned her full attention back to Alex. “Details. Now.”

Alex grinned. In her more enthusiastic moments, Waverly reminded her a little bit of Kara, though when she yelled at the boys in the bar—one time even pulling out a shotgun that looked like it came out of the prop department from some old Western show—she was far more Supergirl than Kara ever dared to be in her day-to-day life, lest she raise suspicions. 

“I only met her once, but we sort of hit it off,” Alex began, propping herself up on one of the stools they dragged to their side of the bar for slow weeknights. “She’s, well, she’s absolutely stunning.” That part was true. She might be evil, but dammit, she wore it well. “She’s charming and sarcastic and funny, and she texted to ask about drinks, so…” Alex trailed off gesturing around her. “Here we are.”

“Ooh, is she a regular?” Waverly asked, surveying the crowd.

With a bark of a laugh, Alex shook her head. “Definitely not.”

“Hey, we get some good people in here,” Waverly huffed. 

“It’s not that,” Alex assured her. “It’s just, well, she’s really, really rich. Plus, she’s new to town—fresh in from National City.”

“Home of Supergirl.”

“Ah, yeah, well,” Alex shrugged, trying to look noncommittal. She knew she should stay in character, knew she should act like Supergirl was the bane of this earth’s existence just like her cousin, but she didn’t want to alienate Waverly (or badmouth her own sister). 

“I know, I know, you’re still a little bitter with the scar and all,” Waverly sighed. 

Alex just nodded. After one night when Waverly had overheard Alex talking shit about Superman with Ray and Victor, she’d gone to smooth things over—something Victor luckily approved of, recognizing that certain things couldn’t be voiced out in the open just yet, though the cocksure way he emphasized “yet” sent a chill down her spine—and ended up showing Waverly the scar, explaining that she had a hard time being as enthusiastic as everyone else about their resident superhero. 

“But okay, so she’s new to town, and you’re gonna show her a good time?” Waverly teased, wiggling her eyebrows until Alex laughed, some of the tenseness from before forgotten now. 

“We’ll see,” Alex shrugged, hoping her demeanor suggested that she was just nervous about a bad date, not about her date possibly being a strong advocate for some kind of mass deportation of all intergalactic immigrants and refugees. 

“I’m sure you’ll charm the pants off of her.”

“And maybe she’ll be lucky enough not to have anyone interrupt her,” Nicole interjected, casting a meaningful glance at Waverly before letting herself be drawn into a kiss. 

“I believe Cat’s an only child, right?”

“Oh, yeah, right,” Alex nodded, smiling at Nicole and waving. “I didn’t know you were coming by tonight.”

“Wasn’t planning on it, but this one told me I absolutely needed to come see your date. So where is she?”

“Not here yet,” Waverly answered, propping her elbows on the bar and resting her chin in her hands as she surveyed the space. “But we’re keeping an eye out. Ooh, should we assign some code names, that way your date doesn’t know we’re talking about her?” 

“I think Maria will be just fine,” Alex replied with a chuckle. She also didn’t need Maria getting suspicious if she thought Cat was talking about her to everyone. 

“Nope, I think we definitely need code names,” Waverly insisted. “But don’t worry, we won’t make it obvious.”

“She’s very subtle,” Nicole mouthed to Cat, laughing as Waverly swatted at her arm.

“She can be tacos! It’s very appropriate,” Waverly declared, looking incredibly proud of herself. “Nicole is Officer Hot Stuff.”

“This is Officer Hot Stuff paging Angel Pants: this is a silly idea. I repeat, this is a silly, ridiculous idea,” Nicole teased, poking Waverly, who just ignored her. 

“Cat, you can be…Biker Babe? Madam Surly?”

“One night,” Alex huffed. 

“But it’s a night we’ll all remember,” Waverly pointed out.

“I had to ride up that damn hill on a rapidly deflating tire! Do you know much harder that makes things?”

Waverly bit back a laugh. It hadn’t helped that they’d had a sudden heat flash that brought the temperatures back up to sultry summer levels. By the time Alex made it to the top of the hill, she looked a bit like a tomato, streaked with sweat and lugging a bicycle behind her that she knew she’d end up carrying home since she hadn’t thought to bring a patch kit, hadn’t exactly anticipated that the gravel her motorcycle wheels just sprayed out to the sides might be sharp enough to puncture a bicycle tire. 

“Anyway, Maria is supposed to be here any minute now, so let’s not talk about that night.”

“Nope, only the best memories about Biker Babe for Tacos,” Waverly replied in mock-seriousness, looking far too pleased with herself. Even Nicole was trying to hide a laugh behind her hand. 

Before Alex could say anything, though, she noticed Maria making her way through the front door in an outfit that was at once technically casual and far more put together than Alex had seen almost anyone, save perhaps for Kara’s boss, look in jeans and a sweater. Of course, the fact that the v of Maria’s sweater dipped down a little low probably helped…

“Tacos are tasty! Tacos are tasty!” Waverly hissed until Nicole, unable to contain her laughter anymore, dragged Waverly down to the other end of the bar to give Cat a bit of privacy for her date. 

“Hey, there,” Maggie greeted Cat, leaning forward onto the bar and hoping that the padded fancy bra she’d pulled out of her drawers did its job. “You look good behind the bar.”

“Yeah, you, uh, you look good too,” Alex stammered, struggling to form coherent sentences when her brain was just yelling: “Cleavage!” Noting the way Maria was smirking, Alex willed herself to pull it together and finally managed, “Can I get you a drink? My treat.”

“Why don’t you surprise me,” Maggie replied, batting her eyelashes and laying it on thick, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to get in close to Lillian Luthor’s future protégé before she found out just how important she would become to the cause, if she didn’t already know. Plus, if Cat was suspicious about her romantic history, being forward and making her intentions cleared matter. Let the woman think she was just stunning enough to have dragged Maria out of the closet—surely with as many patents as were listed in her name, Maria must have an ego to match.

Figuring she should give it right back—if she was going to get in close to another Lillian Luthor, she might as well go all in, see if the woman scared the second another woman started hitting on her in earnest—Alex dropped her voice and leaned in closer. “I have better ways to surprise you than behind a bar.” But before Maria could respond, she had spun on her heels and gone back over to the bottles, intent on focusing on the drink and not on whatever she’d just set in motion. 

But, of course, when she got back, Maria was still waiting, still looking at her with an expression that was almost predatory, and she wondered if she’d held it the whole time she had her back turned, wondered if Maria had appreciated the wonders that biking had done for her ass, even if it had destroyed her shoes and ruined any chance of her having a good hair day if she needed to go more than a few miles. 

“Cheers,” Alex toasted, offering out a glass to Maria. 

“And I just trust you not to poison me?” Maggie drawled, though she couldn’t be sure Cat would never…but she had no reason to, Maggie reasoned, trying not to freak herself out before they’d even begun in earnest. 

“You can trust me not to poison me,” Alex pointed out, putting both drinks down on the bar and letting Maria have her pick. Once she’d claimed one—the one Alex had offered in the first place—they clinked their glasses together and both took a sip. 

“Damn, this is good. What’s in it?”

“Ah, I need to keep the air of mystery alive, don’t I?” Alex teased.

“Is that…lavender?”

“Mhm,” Alex finally nodded, though she shook her head when Maria looked at her expectantly. “Maybe one day you’ll learn all my secrets. But today is not that day.”

“Pity,” Maggie mused. But if she had it her way, she’d find out those secrets much sooner than Cat expected thanks to a few bugs she had ready to plant the first time she made it back to her apartment. 

“So, how was your week? How’s Metropolis treating you?”

“Can’t complain. Met with a realtor today to finally start touring some office spaces downtown.”

“Are we toasting to you becoming a name partner yet?”

“No, no, not yet. But I found a few promising places! I still need to see more to get a feel for what’s available, but I don’t want to bore you with shop talk.”

“Eh, you’ve found your way to my office…of sorts.”

“Yes, but while your office offers delicious drinks and, I assume, the kind of greasy food that I haven’t eaten in ages, my office exists only in draft contracts and proposals…for now.”

“For now,” Alex repeated, grinning over her glass. 

Over the next hour, they chatted about their weeks and plans for the upcoming weekend. Alex finally went to the back to pull an order of the promised greasy fries for Maria, presenting them to her with a flourish and a muttered apology as she went to go help Waverly deal with a small crowd that had come in together—probably from one of the newer food trucks that had set up shop down the block. By the time she got back, Victor and Sam had made their way into the bar and settled in at their usual table, and while Maria hadn’t noticed them yet, they had definitely noticed her. Alex longed to be able to go listen in to what they were saying, but she knew better than to compromise her long-term goals with Maria, so she ambled back down the bar to where Maria was perched, daintily dragging her fries one at a time through the small puddle of ketchup before popping them into her mouth, managing to avoid smudging her lipstick—a fact that rather impressed Alex and kept her attention on Maria’s lips for longer than was, perhaps, appropriate on a first date. 

“See something you like?” Maggie flirted, flicking her tongue out across her lower lip to catch any salt that had gotten stuck there from her fries. 

“Yeah, those fries look pretty amazing,” Alex teased, reaching across the bar and swiping a few out of the basket. 

“Cat, Maria,” Victor greeted, pulling out one of the barstools and taking the seat next to Maria. “How are you this fine evening?

“Doing well,” Maggie responded, tipping her head slightly in acknowledgement. “How’s your week been?”

“I can’t complain, though everything feels like a bit of a disappointment after such an exciting weekend, wouldn’t you agree?”

Alex nodded, taking a sip of her drink to avoid having to give words to an experience that had left her feeling angry and nauseated. 

“We couldn’t find you at the end of the night,” Victor continued, turning his attention to Maria. “I just know Cat here was dying to see you again.”

“Fuck off,” Alex muttered. She didn’t need Maria thinking she was already head over heels in love with her or something like that. She was a mark, nothing more. 

“Ah, yeah, I got out of there pretty soon after the…show ended. Still getting used to being on Metropolis time, but I think I’m finally over the jetlag.”

“That’s always a bitch,” Victor commiserated. “Hopefully our Cat won’t get your sleeping schedule all out of whack again with whatever she has in store for you.”

“Shut up,” Alex hissed once more, wondering if Victor was doing this intentionally or whether he genuinely believed himself to be helping her case.

“I suspect whatever Cat has in mind would be a much better reason to lose sleep than the crying baby that was, for some reason, allowed into first class on my flight over here.” As she spoke, Maggie let her fingers drift across the bar until they were touching Cat’s—just a hint of a touch, enough to keep the woman intrigued. 

Victor grinned broadly and winked at Cat before turning his attention back to Maria. “I also wanted to see if you two might like to join us at our table for the night. I’m sure Sam would love to meet you, Maria.”

“Oh, yeah? What do you think, Cat? Should we sit with them for a bit?”

“I should actually help Waverly deal with clean up for a bit, but if you want to go meet everyone, feel free! I can try to get off here a little early and come join you.”

“You sure? I can keep you company.” Of course, she really did want to meet Sam, but she also didn’t want to screw things up with her newest target.

“Yeah, go for it. Now I don’t have to worry about boring you while I clean,” Alex insisted, figuring it would be good to have recordings to go on to see how Maria interacted with everyone when she wasn’t there. 

So Maggie let herself be led over to the table, willing herself to smile and looked excited by the prospect of meeting more people who just loved to hate aliens. She kept the closed-lip smile on her face throughout Victor’s introductions, ignoring the way her stomach swooped when he called her “Cat’s girl,” because, dammit, that was not something that should have sounded good. Sam seemed distinctly less welcoming than Victor, though when it came out that she was a senior partner at a consulting firm and in town buying real estate in a very particular set of neighborhoods, she softened some, finally turning to regard Maria in earnest. 

As much as Maggie knew better than to push the issues, to try to get them talking about specific Cadmus plans or what their roles were, she also hated how stilted and fake everything felt as they got to know her. She didn’t want to get to know them as people; she wanted to get her information and get out. But that wasn’t how this worked. So she waited, and listened, and nodded at the right times, and laughed when everyone else did, until finally Cat swooped back in to save her. 

“Were you nice to Maria?” Alex asked, pulling up a chair and wedging herself between Maria and Victor.

“We’re always nice,” Victor replied, his voice saccharine sweet. 

“Mm, sure,” Alex laughed. “Now, I’m off early, so if it’s alright with all of you, I think I’d like to take my date somewhere other than work.”

With a chorus of teasing jabs and goodbyes, Alex gave a small salute and guided Maria toward the door.

Once they were outside, Maggie turned toward Cat. “So, I’m your date?”

“Oh, uh, is that not what this is?” Alex wondered if she should bring up Maria’s apparent lack of any past romantic interest in women. 

“Sorry, no, it’s just, well, if I’m being honest, I’m a little new to this,” Maggie admitted, remembering Kate’s advice to own the cover story of Maria just now coming out of the closet. 

“New to…?”

“Dating women,” Maggie answered, clenching her jaw defiantly as if daring Cat to challenge her on it. 

“Do you want to? Because I’m not into making you do something you’re not comfortable with.” Even though it would ruin the particular path she had in mind for getting very close to Maria very quickly, she suspected she could get access to pretty much everything she needed if she could manage to cultivate a friendship with the woman instead. It might be a longer, more drawn out process, but they’d get there. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t come in prepared to spend months infiltrating the Metropolis branch anyway. She’d made a solid number of contacts at the alien fight club, sure, but getting their names to J’onn and the DEO wasn’t nearly enough. She needed to get beyond that first layer, see how deep their ties really went, figure out how these events translated into a broader plan—when that “yet” Victor was so keen on would come. 

Maggie hated the way that she was touched by Cat’s consideration, moved by the way that Cat took a step back, not wanting to invade her space, not wanting to seem like she was forcing a decision on her. She hated the way these moments humanized Cat, gave her a depth that made simply hating her so much more difficult. Because now she had to wonder what had happened, how had someone who seemed so respectful and considerate otherwise turned into the kind of person that would pay to watch aliens kill each other for fun, who would get involved with the kind of organization that would advocate for mass deportations and even killing aliens, experimenting on them, harnessing their powers and their technology without regard for their wellbeing. 

“Maria?” Alex asked again, worrying that maybe the woman really was just coming out, that perhaps that process wasn’t going as smoothly as she’d made it seem when she flirted with her on Friday night. 

“Sorry,” Maggie shook her head, forcing herself back into the moment. “You’re fine, really. I’m here because I want to be here. Plus, it’s not like I’ve never noticed beautiful women before,” she added with a smooth smile that seemed to make Cat relax, the tension slowly falling out of her shoulders. 

“So I’m just your first time acting on it?”

“Looking the way you do, you can’t tell me you’re surprised.”

“Closet doors do tend to swing open when I walk by,” Alex teased, holding out her hand for Maria to take. “Now, where to?” 

“I, uh, I’m not super familiar with the neighborhood,” Maggie lied. In fact, she’d done an extensive sweep of the area to ensure she knew any and all escape routes in advance. But knowing the roads didn’t equate into knowing the best restaurants; Cat was the expert there. 

“How do you feel about walking? There’s a nice coffee shop about a mile away.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Oh, fuck,” Alex mumbled, remembering that her bike was still behind the bar and, of course, J’onn hadn’t gotten her an apartment anywhere near a decent subway stop. His defense was that those locations were always harder to secure, but she suspected it was also due to how much pricier decent real estate was. 

“What’s wrong?’

“Nothing that bad,” Alex assured her. “I just forgot I rode my bike over here.”

“Oh, really? A woman after my own heart.” And, god, how true that was. Too many of Maggie’s exes had found the motorcycle sexy until she’d asked them to ride on it—then it was dangerous and impractical. 

“Yeah?” Alex really only thought she’d see that reaction to her bike from the mechanic down at the bike shop…who she really had meant to ask out, though she probably shouldn’t now.

“Definitely. I don’t do this for most women—I mean, I’ve never done this for women…nevermind. Point is, I’d ride on the back for you.”

“Really? Um, I mean, I guess I could stand and you could have the seat,” Alex mumbled, wondering if they’d even make it down the hill alive.

“What?” Maggie laughed, trying to figure out what kind of tiny seat Cat must have on her motorcycle. 

“It might be easier if I just walk it, to be honest.”

Before Maggie could protest that pushing a motorcycle would absolutely not be easier, she realized that Cat was now standing in front of a bike rack—as in, a bicycle rack—and kneeling down to unlock one. “Oh…I thought, yeah, I thought you meant a motorcycle.”

“Ah, nope,” Alex shook her head, even though part of her was now very much stuck on the idea of Maria’s legs and arms wrapped tightly around her while she sped them out of town and into the hilly countryside. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“No, no, you’re just fine. It’s, uh…sweet, I think, that you were willing to stand and pedal me across town. Very old school.”

“Yeah, well, the men you dated don’t have a monopoly on chivalry.” Once she’d made sure that Maria was smiling and not looking freaked out, she kept talking: “Anyway, the coffee shop is down the hill.”

“Lead the way,” Maggie said, motioning for Cat to take the lead. As they walked, they fell into what felt like an easy routine—far easier than it had been with most of her exes, Maggie had to admit, wondering what it made her if she had a better time of it when she was pretending to be someone entirely new and flirting with some xenophobic bigot than on real dates—the conversation moving as easily as if they’d known each other for years, even as they were just learning the smallest of details. 

“So, how’d you end up in Metropolis? Did you go to school in the area?” Maggie asked, trying to act like she hadn’t spent hours finding every detail about Cat Sullivan that was available online (and through some less legal sources). 

“Oh, uh, I actually grew up close by. Did a semester or two of college, but it just wasn’t for me. I mean, I liked the lab work, but…I don’t know. Structure and I don’t get along too well.” 

“Ah, next Steve Jobs?” 

“Please, like I’d wear New Balance sneakers with mom jeans.”

“But you’re into the turtleneck?”

“Back when I still lived at home, they were a damn blessing some mornings,” Alex laughed, trying to gauge Maria’s reaction to overt reminders of her sexuality. But the woman just smiled and chuckled, nodding knowingly. “So, uh…if you don’t mind my asking, you said you were still new to the whole dating women thing. How’s it going for you?”

Maggie froze, hoping Cat would attribute it to newness at talking about all of these things. She’d been out for so long at this point, she wondered what it was like for an adult—a successful, well-established, wealthy adult—to come out. Surely she wouldn’t have to deal with being disowned by parents or shunned by classmates. And there were laws about it in the workplace nowadays. But, she reasoned, it would likely be a lot to adjust to something this big later in life, to realize that there was a part of herself that she’d been repressing or ignoring or dismissing as insignificant for so many years and finally letting herself acknowledge it, act on it. 

“Sorry, we don’t have to talk about it. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, no. I just, um, it’s all pretty new. I mean, I guess looking back now, some things make a little more sense, like why I wasn’t upset when my parents sent me to an all-girls school.” 

Alex snorted, then blushed at the decidedly unattractive noise. “Sorry, don’t mean to be dismissive, it’s just, welcome to the club. Realizing why so many things happened is, like, step one of the coming out process.”

“What’s step two?”

“Realizing just how many teachers you had huge crushes on.”

“And step three?”

“Depends,” Alex shrugged. “Maybe it’s coming out to more people. Maybe it’s watching the handful of decent lesbian movies that exist. Maybe it’s doing this—you know, going out on dates.”

“I think the movies and dating sound like the more fun options.”

With a bark of a laugh, Alex shook her head. “You haven’t seen the movies yet.” 

“Well then, dating it is.”

“I’m not complaining. But you’ll let me know what you’re okay with, right? Like, if you don’t want to be obvious about being together out in public, that’s fine. I mean, I don’t think I can stop Victor from his jokes, but he doesn’t venture outside of his own little circle too much.”

Maggie desperately wanted to ask more about that little circle, to see if it was the same guys from the bar or if he had another circle—higher level folks—that Cat had gotten to meet at the fight club. But she knew now wasn’t the time; that response would seem more than a little out of place. So instead she just mumbled, “Thanks.” 

“Of course.”

And, god, Maggie wanted to kiss her for the way her voice seemed to drip with sincerity, wanted to push her up against a wall and demand to know how she got involved with such shitty people when everything about her seemed so good otherwise. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“How’d you do the whole…coming out thing?”

“Oh, well I—” Alex paused before she could begin her own story, realizing that J’onn hadn’t filled in any details about a romantic past for her. Scrambling, she tried to think of the details that were easy enough to fit with Cat’s life. “Um, in high school I started working at this bike shop. Just a day or two a week, mainly for the discount, but I wasn’t gonna complain about the paycheck. Anyway, there was this cute older girl from the university who worked in the shop with me. She mentioned that she had a girlfriend, and it just, I don’t know, hearing that as a possibility—something that she wasn’t ashamed of or anything—made me think about how I felt…including how I felt about her. And over the next few weeks I asked her a lot of questions that I’m sure veered into inappropriate territory, but she was really chill about all of it, and eventually I came out to her, then later to my mom and a few of my friends. And voila. I’m a lesbian.”

Maggie laughed wryly. “You make it sound so easy.”

“I left out all of the unrequited pining over shop girl,” Alex teased, reaching out to guide Maria toward the corner where they needed to turn to get to Juliet’s. “Almost there, I promise. Just a few more blocks.”

“I trust you.” She shouldn’t, but it felt truer than she was comfortable with. They walked the rest of the way to the café in silence, and Maggie waited as Alex locked up her bike then held the door open for her.

“I like to come here most mornings,” Alex admitted, figuring it was good to give Maria parts of her story that were easily verifiable just in case she ever got suspicious. It helped when one of the baristas waved and called out to her by name.

“I can see that,” Maggie added, smiling at the way the barista seemed to have eyes only for Cat. Not that she blamed her. 

“What’s your order? I can go get our drinks if you want to grab us a table.”

“Since it’s a little later, I might just do tea,” Maggie admitted, hoping she didn’t sound too boring. 

“Ooh, the jasmine is really good here. The mint is too, but it’s literally just dried, ground up mint leaves in a strainer.

“The jasmine sounds perfect.”

Once Cat left with a nod, Maggie made her way toward the back semi-circle booth that had opened up. It looked sufficiently cozy and date-like, leaving open the option for cuddling in the middle. She wondered if Cat had a particular table she liked here, if she should try to plant a bug…maybe Cat made calls to her Cadmus friends or had meetings in here. But then Cat was back, carrying a tray with two teapots and teacups, as well as a few pastries. “You could’ve called for help, or asked for a few dollars to help cover the cost.”

“You are on a proper date tonight,” Alex insisted. “And that means I’m treating you. Now, can I offer you a croissant? Homemade tart? Brownie?”

“Mm, what do you recommend? They all look delicious.”

“The brownies are amazing—they’re dark chocolate, and they have a bit of espresso powder in them that gives them a nice little a kick.”

“Ooh, sounds good. Can I try a bite?” 

Alex nodded, watching as Maria broke off a small corner and popped it in her mouth, moaning sinfully as she let her eyes flutter closed. Before she could open them up again and see Alex drooling, Alex shoved a bit of croissant into her mouth and tried to remember how evil the woman was, how distinctly unsexy that should make her. 

“Reminds me a little bit of tiramisu, and that’s my favorite.”

“Mm, mhmm,” Alex mumbled through a mouthful of croissant she still hadn’t managed to swallow. Eventually she managed both to force the hunk of buttery bread down and to ask something that sounded semi-coherent enough to get Maria talking again, leaving her with plenty of time to get her thoughts in order.

Over the course of the evening, they talked about growing up and their careers, both of them reciting their backstories with practiced ease. Alex listed out the lesbian movies Maria needed to watch and filled her in on the best places to get good food in Metropolis, and Maggie promised Cat she’d treat her to a few of the more expensive meals on that list with reassurances that she could charge it to her company card—after all, she had a fairly generous per diem. 

“So, is it too early to ask for a second date?” Alex asked as they lingered over empty teacups and plates with barely a few crumbs left on them. 

“I think if you play your cards right, it’s not too early to ask for a third.”

“You really are learning the lesbian way,” Alex teased, grinning easily at Maria, who had drifted closer to her over the past half hour. 

“There are probably still a few things I need to learn,” Maggie whispered, trying to look sufficiently shy.

Hoping she wasn’t misreading the situation, Alex leaned in. “Would you be okay if I kissed you?”

Maggie just nodded, biting at her lips and trying to look like she was nervous about her first kiss with a woman. And then Cat’s lips were on hers—soft and oh so gentle, as though she really though Maggie might break—and Maggie fought her instinct to really lean into it, fought to keep it perfectly chaste, tried to remember what it was like to still be new to all of this. Of course, she was fairly certain the first time she’d kissed a woman, she’d been so eager that she’d ended up clanging their teeth together, but this felt like it was maybe the better tactic as an adult. 

“Was that okay?” Alex whispered, pulling back to look Maria in the eyes. It was nice, but it felt like Maria wasn’t particularly enthusiastic, though maybe it was just nerves. 

Instead of answering with words, Maggie just leaned forward once more, closing her eyes as her lips found Cat’s, slightly more sure in her movements this time, though still falling on the cautious side, pulling back before things could get heated. She tried to ignore the way her heart sped up at the sight of Cat’s soft smile, the way Cat reached out to gently stroke her cheek with her fingers before moving back to give her some space in case she needed it. 

“So it seems like date number three is pretty much a guarantee,” Maggie joked.

“Won’t see me complaining.”

“How about I plan date number two?”

“Ooh, getting to see how the other half lives,” Alex teased, though she also suspected she might need to call “Mom” to see about getting clothing that was fancier than her bike gear without making it all the way into black tie attire. 

“I’ll text you the details so you’re not too shocked,” Maggie promised. 

Once they’d taken their dishes up to the counter, Alex walked Maria to the door, holding it open for her once more. “Do you need help getting back to your place? I realize I took you a little far away from the subway.”

“I’ll just grab a cab,” Maggie shrugged. “It’s really fine.” But before she could say any more, Cat was whistling loudly and throwing her arm out, flagging down a cab from the nearby intersection almost immediately. 

“Your chariot awaits.”

“So considerate.” And even though her tone was teasing, she couldn’t help but mean it. 

“Let me know you got home safely?”

“Will do,” Maggie promised, trying not to feel overly touched by the caring gesture. And then she was off.


	6. Chapter 6

The morning of their second date, Alex was determined to use her rare full day off of work to make her way through all of the recordings from the bar table she’d been neglecting for a few days, consumed with her infatuation with—no, commitment to trapping Maria, so she grabbed her laptop, her headphones, and a bag of chips, then settled into bed. 

By the time she hit the third hour of their talking, she was ready to throw her laptop across the room. Three quarters of it sounded like any other bar conversation with general chatter and jokes that got increasingly inappropriate as the drinks flowed more freely, and the remaining quarter that had to do with anti-alien sentiment was as basic as it came—insulting Superman, a few rather derogatory, sexist comments about Supergirl that had her blood boiling, and a couple general remarks about how all aliens should just “go back to where they came from.” 

She was beginning to suspect she would never get anything useful unless she managed to somehow hack into their phones or get to their apartments. But after speeding the recordings up to play at four times the normal speed, she suddenly paused it at the mention of “Lillian.” After rewinding a few minutes, Alex listened to it at normal speed, finding a day when Sam and Victor had been there alone, able to speak freely without worrying about what might not stay secret among the rest. 

“So, how are things with Tasha?” Victor asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.

“Shut up, Vic.”

“Things gonna last longer than a month this time?”

“Do they ever?”

“What’s up with you two, seriously? I mean, I get that you have the whole ‘I don’t do commitment’ act down pretty strong, but she already knows about your, you know, real work, and she’s right there with you on it.”

“Drop it, Vic.”

“Why? I’ve known you for ages, but you still haven’t talked to me about what happened to that fiancée of yours.”

“Fuck off,” Sam growled, fury lacing her tone. Alex could hear the sound of a glass suddenly being slammed down on the table—she suspected now emptied of its contents. The tape went silent for several long minutes, save for the sound of the bar, of life still going on despite whatever thoughts were swirling in Sam’s head. Finally she spoke again, sounding calm, if detached. “Talked to Lillian yesterday.”

“I figured there was a reason for our little tête-à-tête.” Alex wondered if the irreverence was just a permanent part of Victor’s personality.

“She wants a progress report—and a specific one this time.”

“Did you tell her about Cat?”

“Shh,” Sam hushed him. 

“I just don’t get why you won’t tell her. It’d get her off our backs a little, show her we’re making the connections she needs.”

“And if it falls through? You know she doesn’t exactly appreciate being promised something, then let down.”

“Yeah, but she also doesn’t appreciate being left with no information.”

Sam paused, probably considering the truth in his words, Alex assumed. “Do we have any sense that Cat wants to be more involved in the cause?”

“She’s been hanging around with that Maria chick, I think. That’s good—keeping up with someone from Roulette’s circles.”

“Fucking someone isn’t the same thing as believing what they stand for.”

“No…but maybe she’d want to impress Maria, see this whole thing as an opportunity to show a fancy consultant that she’s more than just a bartender with a nice ass.” Alex tried not to gag, but she put the chips away for the moment. 

“I still haven’t met Ms. Sterling, you realize.”

“I’m sure Cat’ll bring her by the bar at some point.”

“In any case, I’m not hedging my bets on some unknown woman, nor am I going to tell Lillian about our potential new acquisition until we have seen any evidence of her taking up her scientific pursuits again.”

“Why don’t we just ask her?”

“No,” Sam barked.

“Fine,” Victor conceded, his voice growing whiny as he elongated the word. But the scuffle of feet and glasses suggested the conversation was over. 

Pausing the tapes, Alex took out her headphones, closing her eyes as she thought about ways to make that shift look organic. Victor had, inadvertently, made a decent point about how that interest might resurface again. By all outside observations, Maria was out of her league. She brought her to a dive bar, then a coffee shop in a hipster neighborhood for a first date; Maria was taking her to some Italian restaurant with a dress code whose website didn’t list prices but had whole paragraphs on the grape harvest from the year of each bottle of wine they sold. Of course, Alex knew Maria knew about the patents, but she only knew because Winn could trace the searches for Cat Sullivan, and it wasn’t like Alex could bring it up. 

Figuring she still had a few more hours before she needed to shower and get ready for her date, Alex went back to the tapes, letting them speed through until the night she knew Maria showed up to the bar. 

“Hey,” she heard Victor hiss. “It’s Cat’s new girl.”

“Hmm,” Sam’s voice came through as she assessed the situation.

“Nice rack,” Ray observed, followed by a few loud laughs and some obscene-sounding noises. Alex tried to tamp down on the surge of jealousy she felt swelling in her chest.

“Why don’t you go see if they’d like to join us?” Alex could hear the pointed suggestion in Sam’s words. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll go up there,” Victor offered.

After a few minutes of idle chatter, Alex heard Victor coming back and introducing Maria around, but after the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor, her headphones were filled with a loud, high-pitched whining sound that blocked out everything else. She yanked them out, rubbing at her ears, trying to get the faint ringing to go away. Figuring she should try again with the computer’s speakers rather than her headphones, in case they had somehow been the cause of the problem, Alex reluctantly pulled them out and hit play, only to have her bedroom filled with the awful noises. Cursing loudly, Alex dropped the volume down as low as it could go and sped through until the noise stopped. But as she tuned back in, she realized that Maria had already left with her, and she was left listening to Eric and Ray go back and forth about whether Cat or Maria was hotter and which one wore the dick, only to have Tasha point out with a scoff that it wasn’t how sex had to work and that if they ever got laid maybe they’d know something about it. 

What did it mean that this woman apparently carried around high-tech audio jammers everywhere she went? Clearly she’d turned it on, since Alex could still hear the introductions, which meant it was something she brought with her, something small and portable… As she brainstormed about ways to get it away from her to get a clear recording of her with Sam and Victor, Alex’s mind drifted to the most fun ways to make that happen…ways that involved Maria very naked in her bed, her clothes and high-tech toys left behind, though maybe some of Alex’s toys could make an appearance… Shaking her head, she snapped herself out of it. No, she figured, what she needed was to bug Maria, to leave recording devices in places where she’d never think to turn on her audio jammers. 

Leaving the tapes for the evening, figuring she’d made it through enough to feel comfortable with the amount of work she’d gotten done, Alex rummaged in her kitchen for the box of citrus tea with all of her little gadgets courtesy of the DEO. She pulled out the bag with a few minuscule recorders and pocketed two to bring with her that evening. 

\---

Maggie drove long, lazy loops around the surrounding blocks—looking for what, she couldn’t say. But she was early and needed something to distract from the feeling of nerves that wouldn’t leave her—something she’d never had happen before a fake date, though she refused to evaluate the significance of it. Eventually, deciding she knew every one way-street in the vicinity at this point, Maggie brought her car back around to the restaurant’s block and found a spot on the street not too far from the front door. With a deep breath, she pulled the door open, reminding herself that tonight was to be Maria’s first fancy date with a woman, that she’d just spent several days analyzing her first kisses with a woman, that she should be nervous and excited in equal parts and maybe, just maybe, it’d be okay if there was some desire for something more than she’d yet gotten from Cat. 

“Good evening,” the maître’ d greeted her. 

“Reservation for two for Maria Sterling,” Maggie replied, rolling her shoulders back and trying to take up as much space as someone of her assumed stature would. 

“Would you like me to take you to your table now, or will you be waiting for your dining companion, Ms. Sterling?”

Maggie hesitated, trying to figure out what would be the better option. Figuring going to the table now would allow her a moment to gather her composure, she answered, “You can take me to my table, thank you.”

With a nod, the waiter spun on his heels, and motioned for her to follow him to the table, which she did, only wobbling once on a particularly slick section of floor in her stilettoes. When they got to the table, she chose the seat facing the front of the restaurant so that she would have notice when Cat arrived. She pulled open the menu, determined to look busy and not at all nervous for Cat, but she suspected her expression gave her away just a little when she caught sight of her date making her way through the tables, long lean legs on display in a rather nice black dress that left Maggie feeling just a little guilty, nervous that the woman had spent a whole paycheck on something she’d never have a need for again. But then she remembered the tux from the fight club and thought, with a clench of her gut, that maybe Cat would be the type to need a full closet of evening wear soon enough. The black boots were a nice touch—a splash of Cat’s personality shining through an outfit that would otherwise blend right in at the Michelin Star restaurant.

As Cat drew nearer, Maggie hurried to her feet, getting ready to play her part. “Hi,” Maggie waved when Cat finally made her way to the table. 

“You look beautiful,” Alex greeted her voice low enough to be private even in a crowded room. With a kiss to Maria’s cheek that she hoped would be chaste enough to be merely friendly if anyone Maria knew was watching, Alex felt her hand being squeezed and tried to stop her stomach from swooping excitedly. 

“You, uh, you do too,” Maggie stammered, nearly tripping over herself to get to Cat’s chair and pull it out for her. Seeing the amused smile that pulled up one corner of Cat’s mouth, she explained: “I thought, I don’t know, I’m planning this date, so maybe I should get your chair and all too.”

“Well, you certainly don’t have to, but I appreciate it,” Alex replied with a grin, letting herself be helped into her seat. She would have scoffed and rolled her eyes at just about anyone else who tried, but somehow it just seemed…endearing when Maria did it, trying so hard to go about this whole lesbian dating thing the right way, desperate to earn Alex’s approval—though she tried to push that thought away as soon as it appeared, leading as it did to too many thoughts that weren’t appropriate for a second date.

“Did you find the restaurant okay?” Maggie asked, settling back into her seat.

“Well, my cab driver did,” Alex admitted with a small laugh. “Figured I shouldn’t try to bike over here in a dress. Might be too sweaty for them to let me in the doors.”

Maggie forced herself to chuckle, but all she could think of were other ways that Cat might end up sweaty—ways that seemed distinctly more fun than biking up Metropolis’ many hills. “How was your week?” she asked, trying to get the conversation back into something normal.

“Not too bad. A few shifts at the bar, spent some time working on my bikes, a few trips out for groceries and some bike parts,” Alex shrugged, not adding the part about trying to figure out why Maria was using audio jammers all the time. 

“Maybe you should show me your bikes sometime,” Maggie flirted, figuring that would be an easy way to get into Cat’s apartment, maybe plant a few bugs. She was still working on a way to get to Sam and Victor, but the closer she got to Cat, the easier it would become, she assumed. 

“Yeah? I’ve heard there’s a nice bike trail if we get just a little bit outside the city. We could go on a ride? Maybe do a picnic if it’s not too cold.” 

“Oh? Uh, yeah, yeah, I could do that,” Maggie agreed, wondering if remembering how to ride a bike was really as easy as everyone said. Somehow this felt like it was shaping up to be a plot out of a clichéd romcom. 

“Excellent! We could even call it date number three if you’re up for it. Only if you decide this is still something you want to do, of course.”

“Right, right, of course. But I—I think I like where things are going.”

Alex beamed and tried to remember that this was all an act, that hearing that Maria wanted to keep going should fill her only with a sense of satisfaction about the mission, not a feeling of overwhelming personal happiness. It was only when she noticed Maria gazing at her expectantly and looking a bit nervous that she realized she hadn’t responded. “Oh, yeah? Um, me too. And you’re still good with it all? I mean, I know that maybe I’m not the person you want to be your confidante or whatever, but just…you’ll let me know if something is too much? I imagine most of your friends are still back in National City.”

Maggie gritted her teeth and tried not to let herself feel utterly charmed by Cat’s concern for her. “Thank you, I mean it. I promise I’ll let you know, but for now, I’m very happy to be here with you.” It was so easy to act when everything she said was unfortunately true. 

From there, they slid into easy conversation, though Alex made a point to ask Maria about office space, figuring if she could get a firm location they’d be able to get it on the DEO’s radar, maybe bug the place and get eyes on it from the surrounding buildings, in case it became another one of Cadmus’ “hidden in plain sight” locations. And Maggie asked about Sam and Victor a few times, seeing if Cat had heard of any more events coming up since she was falling a little out of the loop, being so far away from Roulette and all. She tried not to read into Cat’s expression—what almost looked like a grimace—when she asked about future events, tried to remind herself that the woman had chosen to go, that she’d befriended people like Sam and Victor for a reason, that any level of unease with the situation was likely just Maggie projecting. 

As their dessert plates were cleared away, replaced with a small black envelope and the check, which Maggie promptly grabbed and sent back with the waiter, they sat in comfortable silence, neither of them quite wanting the night to end, even though in terms of information it had been, to put it bluntly, a bit of a bust for both of them.

“I suppose, next round of guests and all, we should probably give up our table,” Maggie said, trying not to seem overly upset about leaving.

“Right…but I can walk you to your car,” Alex offered, standing up and reaching out a hand to Maria to help her out of her seat. 

Maggie nodded and let herself be led out of the restaurant, before guiding Cat over toward her car. She couldn’t help but smirk at the impressed look that flickered across Cat’s face at the sight of the expensive sports car, though she made a point to turn it back into a nervous grin by the time Cat looked at her again. 

“Thank you for a wonderful evening, Maria,” Alex said, smiling sincerely at her date, wondering whether it would be appropriate to kiss her in front of a restaurant full of people she may need to impress or if the kiss last time had been okay only because it was down in her neighborhood among people Maria would likely never see again. 

“Are you…do you need a ride home?” Maggie offered, not quite ready for the night to end. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose. I can just grab a cab.”

“No! No, no, I invited you out; I should make sure you get home safely.”

“By that logic, I should’ve biked you home last weekend.”

“Ah, well, I think you’ll find the leather seats are a little more comfortable than sharing a saddle.”

“They make leather saddles,” Alex countered, pulling a loud laugh from Maria. But she let herself be guided to the passenger door and let in, sinking into seats that were, admittedly, much more comfortable than her bike. 

They didn’t talk much on the drive to Alex’s apartment, as Alex read instructions from Google Maps and contemplated how obvious it would be if she bent over to “itch her leg” and stuck one of her recorders below the glove compartment. All too soon, they were pulling up to Alex’s building.

“This is me.”

“Right. Um, nice building,” Maggie offered.

Alex looked up at the dilapidated building and chuckled, shaking her head. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s quite the palace compared to your neighborhood.”

“Well, looks can be deceiving,” Maggie shrugged. It wasn’t like she was angling for an invitation upstairs. Judging from Cat’s behavior on their dates, there was no way she’d try to pressure her into sex on the second date, and it wasn’t like she’d brought any of her recorders or pinhole cameras with her to leave behind. And yet…she couldn’t quite find it within herself to kick Cat out of her car. 

Alex noted the exact moment when Maria’s tongue flicked out to wet her lips. It certainly wasn’t because she was staring at Maria’s lips; no, that would be creepy. It was definitely just the movement that drew her eye, at least that’s what she told herself. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest and tried to remind herself that she’d made out with far more intimidating people on missions, that there was no reason to let some misguided emotions keep her from drawing in her targets, just like she always had. 

But then again, this felt different. Bigot or not, Maria was still a 30-something baby gay just finding her way out of the closet, and Alex didn’t want to be the one to push too hard, to drive her into something that would make her uncomfortable or send her running back into the safety of an unhappy heterosexual marriage. So instead of inviting Maria upstairs for a drink—and really, it could just be a drink—she leaned over and lightly brushed her lips across Maria’s cheek. But then Maria kissed her cheek in turn, and lingered ever so softly. 

And that could have been all, but Alex felt like she needed a more conclusive end to their date, so she leaned back across the center console and wrapped an arm around Maria, feeling the woman lean into her, sighing inaudibly when the woman’s lips found hers—just for a moment. 

For what felt like ages they stayed like that, leaning into one another’s space, their lips parted but close enough for their breath to mingle, the air charged with a kind of electricity that Alex wished she could feel on a real date. But then one of them—neither could say which one—leaned forward, and before Alex could let her more responsible impulses take over, she felt her hand coming up to caress Maria’s cheek, drawing her in for a searing kiss that far exceeded her expectations. 

Maggie heard herself whimper before she’d realized what had happened. But before Cat could pull back out of some misguided sense of propriety, which was, Maggie could admit, rather adorable, she pulled Cat’s lower lip between her lips, dragging her teeth lightly across it and trying not to smirk when she felt Cat’s hand tangle in her hair, holding her close. 

Trying to remind herself about the mission, Alex grabbed one of the small recorders from her bag and, trusting that Maria was still as into the making out as she seemed to be, if the breathy moans that had filled the car and begun fogging the window were any indication, she reached behind her, sticking the device beneath the passenger door handle as far to the side as she could, then flicking her tongue across Maria’s lips—not that she really needed her distracted anymore, but it couldn’t hurt. 

Desperately trying to concentrate, Maggie fought to remember how much the newly out women she’d dated had been willing to do. Of course, some of them hadn’t exactly warned her in advance, admitting it was all new only after she was crawling up the bed from between their legs. But then Cat was making decisions for her, pulling back, her chest heaving and her lips red and slightly swollen. “I—I don’t want to push too much. We should wait.”

“Okay,” Maggie agreed, reluctantly pulling back. But before Cat could go off thinking she’d already pushed the woman too far, Maggie added, “But you should know, Cat, I’m not the kind of woman who does things she doesn’t want to do.”

With a grin, Alex nodded. “Understood.”

“Goodnight, Cat,” Maggie drawled, watching as the woman gathered her bag and let herself out of the car.

“Night, Maria. I’ll text you about that third date, huh?”

“I’ll be waiting by the phone.”

\---

“Morning, Kate,” Maggie yawned, having stayed up just a little too late looking for any new Facebook photos of Cat. 

“Are you able to talk?” Kate asked, always the consummate professional when it came to the safety of her agents. 

“Yep, jammers are on.”

“How was the second date? Did you learn anything new?”

“She’s definitely close enough with Sam and Victor to get me access, and judging by how easily they welcomed me on the first date just because I was there with her, I don’t think it’ll be too hard if I stick it out.”

“Good to hear. Really great that you were able to get to them all so quickly.”

“There’s a reason I’m your best,” Maggie shrugged, though she grinned at the thought of how hard Kate was likely rolling her eyes at that comment. 

“Yeah, yeah. Now were you a good little employee who remembered to sweep anything Cat touched for bugs?”

“No…” Maggie trailed off, not wanting to lie but really not sure why Cat would bug her. It wasn’t like she’d given any indication that she wasn’t wholly supportive of Cadmus’ mission.

“Go do that. I’m serious, Sawyer.”

Maggie rolled her eyes at the use of her last name but grabbed the small detection device Kate and Bruce had developed as an alternative to the existing clunky detectors on the market. She went over to her clothing from the night before and swept over it, finding it was perfectly clean. In all fairness, Maggie suspected Cat’s hands were a little too busy last night for planting bugs to have been the priority. Her purse was also free of bugs.

“See, nothing on my outfit or accessories,” Maggie finally announced to Kate.

“She didn’t come up to the apartment or get in your car even just make it to the lobby of your building, did she?”

Grumbling, Maggie pulled on a pair of sweatpants and shoes and dragged herself downstairs to go check her car. “I really think this is useless. My purse obviously would’ve been the best bet.”

“Careful what you say when you’re outside,” Kate chastised.

“I’m well aware,” Maggie huffed, though she kept a bit quieter as she made her way to her car. Running the scanner along the seats and doors, Maggie let out a little noise of contentment. “See!” But with a small beep as she ran the detector closer to the passenger side door, she felt her stomach give out. “Motherfucker.”

“Say nothing else,” Kate instructed. “Step on it, which may or may not be effective, but usually with delicate technology it is, then put it in an envelope and send it to Bosch’s corporate PO Box. Got it? You never know with this corporate espionage.”

And there was the cover story they’d be using in case Cat heard any part of the phone call… Couldn’t even think that it was Cadmus-related, lest they trigger a whole other round of investigations. Maggie sighed, rubbing her head and trying to figure out where the fuck a bartender even got her hands on this level of technology unless someone higher up in Cadmus was putting her up to it. She wondered if that meant she’d been put up to everything, if even the dating was a ruse. Of course, she reminded herself, it was on her end too. This was all part of a mission—no more, no less. And dammit, Cat Sullivan would come down with the rest of them. 

\---

Alex woke with a gasp, her heart racing, her muscles tense, and her boxers just a little sticky. She tried to drive the images of Maria sprawled out naked across her bed, of Maria’s back arching beneath her insistent touch from her mind, tried to force herself to remember that pure physical attraction was fine but anything else began crossing lines, began entering into territory that could have the DEO pulling her from a mission in mere moments. 

In an effort to remind herself of the reason for all of this, Alex pulled out her laptop and headphones, intent on listening to the recordings from the newest bug she’d planted. First she poured herself a bowl of cereal, carrying it back into bed and settling down with her headphones in and cereal bowl in hand. 

She listened to herself reading directions to the apartment, then heard the moment they arrived, trying not to smile at how cute they sounded together. For a moment or two it was quiet, but then she could hear a flurry of movement, and soon enough her senses were flooded with breathy moans and whimpers that were doing absolutely nothing to help the situation between her legs. Eventually, thank god, she heard herself pull back, heard herself tell Maria that she wanted to wait, take things a little more slowly. With the sound of the door shutting, she turned up the volume, intent on taking as many notes as she needed to in order to drive certain images far from her head. 

After a few minutes of silence, music clicked on. Before Alex had time to wonder if Maria really already suspected a bug, she heard the woman’s voice cut in, singing along loudly and just a little off-tune to whatever song was playing. And dammit, she couldn’t help the way she grinned like a fool at the image of Maria, still a little starry-eyed from their kiss, driving herself home and singing along to all the cheesy love songs she’d always scoffed at before coming out. Not that Alex was projecting—no, never. 

All too soon, the car was being turned off, and Maria was gone. Alex sped up the recording, listening for anything. As soon as she heard a noise, she quickly brought it back down to normal speed and forced herself to pay attention. She heard the doors unlock remotely, then the door being swung open. There was Mara’s voice: “See! … Motherfucker.” There was a loud crunch, followed by a moment of static, and then nothing.

“We need to talk,” she texted Mom. 

“Does tomorrow work for you, dear? I have some guests in town today.”

“Okay. I have work starting at 4 for happy hour.”

“I’ll try to catch you before you have to leave. Otherwise the next day.”

“Thanks.”

“Have a good day!”

\---

“I need you to be on high alert, do you hear me?” Kate’s voice came through the phone, sounding gravelly, like she might’ve been up all night, and more than a little stressed, though Maggie doubted anyone else would’ve been able to detect it. 

“Okay, so, I guess you found something?”

“It wasn’t just a recorder. It was also a GPS tracker, which we suspect was still functional as it made its way through the mail. Luckily we sent it to a post office, not headquarters, and I brought a team with me to check silently in the parking lot. Once we found the GPS, we drove it back to one of Bruce’s little hideouts, which we had listed as Bosch Consulting’s main address and only destroyed it once we got there.”

“Corporate espionage—got it,” Maggie confirmed, feeling her heart sink at the lengths Cat was apparently willing to go through to spy on her. At least it would make it a lot easier to leave bugs and cameras all over Cat’s apartment without feeling a moment’s regret about it, not that she ever should have regretted it. 

“But this woman had access to some black ops-level tech. We’re still searching for any kind of markings to indicate where they bought it, but the last time we saw this kind of stuff was when we were looking into Lord Technologies.”

Maggie grumbled, rubbing at her temples as she felt the start of an oncoming migraine. “Think he’s involved?”

“Might be. Never really liked Supergirl.”

“Alright, well, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out. And I’m hoping date number three I can get up into her apartment. We’re supposed to go biking or some shit.” She didn’t add that she had once felt a surge of excitement, even for such a playful date.

“Let me know how it goes. We’ll try to get a safe shipment to you soon.”

“Thanks.”

\---

Alex didn’t end up getting to speak to J’onn until bright and early Tuesday morning—a bit too bright and early for her taste after a long night at the bar and maybe indulging in a few too many drinks with Sam and Victor after they’d technically closed for the night. 

“Agent,” J’onn greeted. “Are you in a secure location?”

“Yes,” Alex confirmed, having taken every precaution possible, knowing she needed to get every bit of information she could about Maria. 

“We tracked the recording device.”

“What? You can do that?”

“The two we sent you—did you not recognize them from the drones Lord had sent after your sister?”

“Didn’t they have cameras too?”

“Some did, and a few of those models arrived in today’s shipment on the off chance that Maria doesn’t notice if you plant them. But it’s worth the attempt.”

“Will she even trust me to let me that close again?”

“Well, we tracked the current one all the way back to National City. It made it out to a building listed as her employer—Bosch Consulting.”

“Huh.”

“But just one building over is office space owned by someone else, someone much more interesting.”

“And that is?”

“Roulette.”

“Fuck,” Alex swore under her breath. 

“It means you’re getting closer and closer to someone they’re willing to protect, Agent. We need you to stick with the mission now more than ever.”

“Got it.”

J’onn’s voice softened. “Be safe.”

“Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is a nice little dating+suspicion montage!  
> Let me know what you thought in the comments! I love hearing from you all!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I spent too much time with one of my best guy friends after he took the LSAT, which necessarily involved watching a marathon of bad/amazing movies from the 80s, so please try to work with me and imagine these dates like an 80s movie montage complete with the soundtrack, if you’re so inclined. The end jumps into more standard chapter formatting, so fear not! 
> 
> A/N 2: The chapter earns its rating at the end here…just as a heads up. 
> 
> A/N 3: There likely won’t be a chapter until mid-week next week (I’ve got a hard deadline on Tuesday that I’ll probably need to spend much of my weekend dealing with), but I leave you with more than 6k words to get you through the wait :) I will try to be around here and on Tumblr to answer any questions or reply to any of your wonderful comments!

A week of heavy rain left their bike date postponed and saw them curling up in a corner booth at a coffee shop that was listed as one of the “top date spots” in Metropolis and whispering sweet nothings interspersed with less than subtle comments about just how much they hated aliens, both of them desperate to keep their “in” to Cadmus and Maggie hoping Cat would communicate to Sam and Victor that she was already devoted enough that they didn’t need to bug her. 

“So,” Maggie whispered, letting her fingers lace together with Cat’s, “you never told me how you got your bartending job.”

“Uh, an interview?”

“So Sam and Victor didn’t help you?”

“Oh, no, I met them there.”

“And you were just so friendly I guess they fell over themselves to become your new besties, huh?” Maggie teased, hoping Cat wouldn’t hear it as any kind of investigation. Though, truth be told, she had some explaining to do herself if Maggie ever brought up the whole bugging her car. But that would reveal far too much.

“Eh, shared interests, you know,” Alex shrugged. Trying to remember J’onn’s points about how connected Maria might be to Roulette and National City’s Cadmus branch, Alex forged ahead. “I stopped a fight one night between Ray and some college kid in a Superman t-shirt. He thought I might be just another hero groupie, since, you know, whole town’s overrun with them. But I sent him a free drink, made sure he knew there were no hard feelings, then met up with them after work. Rest is history, I guess.”

“Mm,” Maggie hummed, trying to figure out how best to respond. “Bet you looked hot stopping that fight.” She cringed inwardly at the lame attempt at a transition, but Cat grinned at it, so she figured she was in the clear. 

“Yes, I think Ray thought so too until I made it clear he wasn’t exactly my type.”

“That’s all Sam, huh?”

“I’d say it’s all you, Maria,” Alex countered, biting her lip at the way Maria’s chest flushed just slightly at the compliment. 

“Sure know how to remind a lady of how gay she apparently is.”

“I think there might be more fun ways of doing that…when you’re ready, of course!” Alex didn’t feel the need to add that along with some lube and toys, she’d also be bringing over a few mini cameras and recorders to leave scattered throughout Maria’s apartment. 

“Right, yeah, I mean…it is date three, which is basically an eternity with kids these days,” Maggie joked. 

“Yeah but,” Alex paused, trying to find a way to phrase it to not sound condescending, “I just…I want to do right by you.” And that was true, even if she also wanted her locked up for hate crimes. “You’re still new to so much of this. I don’t want to push you before you’re ready.”

“Thanks,” Maggie whispered. 

The date ended with another heated car makeout, though this time Alex didn’t exactly have the excuse of needing a distraction to plant bugs. But she told herself it was all part of a longer plan, a way to eventually get up into Maria’s apartment. And if Maria happened to be a good kisser that left her cheeks flushed and her heart racing, well, that was just an added bonus. 

\---

One rainy night, Maggie showed up to the bar with takeout from one of the better Indian restaurants in town that Cat had mentioned wanting to try at some point. And sure, maybe that went above and beyond what was strictly necessary for wooing her mark, but surely it helped. And the smile that brightened Cat’s face when she saw her and opened the box, well, it was still part of the plan…anything to get her to trust Maria enough to stop planting bugs in her car. 

They spent Cat’s break chatting over naan and tikka masala, and Maggie tried to keep control of her emotions when Cat asked permission to kiss her in public, leaving it at just one chaste peck on the lips that still left Maggie’s heart hammering in her chest as she fought the instinct to reach out and take her hand, drawing her back in for more. 

Once Cat went back to work, Maggie waved to Victor and soon found herself wedged in between Ray and Victor as they talked about some anti-alien demonstration coming up in two weeks that she made a mental note to tell Kate about—surely she’d be able to warn local authorities, get word out and help keep Metropolis’ alien population safe. She tried not to notice Cat making heart eyes across the bar at her anytime she had a break from customers. Whether she was making them back was anyone’s guess. 

\---

Finally, nearly two weeks after the promised third date, Maggie found herself in designer workout attire, shivering slightly in the Northeast fall weather as she waited outside Cat’s apartment building. Meanwhile, Alex stumbled and cursed as she made her way down the stairs clutching two bikes—the one she’d made her commuter and the other that she’d allowed to sit untouched around the apartment since she moved in. Eventually she got to the ground floor, already panting slightly and plenty warm.

“Hey!” Maggie waved, moving to the door to help Cat carry the bikes down the few stairs in front of the building. “You could’ve told me you were gonna be lugging two bikes down the elevator! I would’ve helped.”

“Oh, uh, it’s actually a walk-up.”

“Cat,” Maggie scolded, though her tone was too warm to carry any real weight.

“Yeah, yeah, now, I’ve got my tools here to lower the seat of whichever one you want.”

Choosing to ignore the comment about her height, Maggie looked at the two bikes. She may or may not have spent a fair mount of time reading up on basic bike trivia to impress Cat, since she couldn’t exactly practice biking to impress her with any physical prowess. Noting that one of them was most definitely a fixed gear hipster bike that she would more likely than not fall off of, Maggie pointed to the sturdier looking black bike. “Uh, that one. Haven’t really tried a fixie before.”

“Oh, uh, yeah…cool, cool,” Alex rambled, looking down at the bike she was supposed to ride. She’d gotten better at the whole maintenance thing, but she’d never bothered to look at this otherwise complete bike. Figuring it would be fine, she propped it against the railing and got to work lowering the seat a bit for Maria. “How’s that feel?”

Maggie swung a leg over the bike, hoping she didn’t look too ridiculous. “Uh, good, I think?”

“Okay, wanna ride just up and down the sidewalk, see if anything needs to be changed?” Alex asked, figuring she could use it as a chance to try out this fixie, as Maria had called it. Once Maria nodded, she handed over her spare helmet and made sure she got off before turning her attention back to her own bike. But Maria was back before she’d done much more than adjust the seat, so she forced a smile and swung a leg over her bike. “Alright, it’s just two miles to the path, then we can decide how far to go.”

“Sounds good!”

Strapping on her helmet and throwing the bag of proper picnic snacks over her shoulder, Alex swung a leg over her bike and began pedaling, looking back to make sure Maria was still behind her. As they pedaled slowly through the first few blocks, Alex let Maria pull up beside her so that she could keep an eye on her. “You still good?”

“Yes, I’m good, I promise,” Maggie laughed, wondering how someone this caring and sweet could be a part of such an evil organization. Sure, Ray was nice and a little goofy, but he also seemed like he’d follow just about anyone if they paid him enough attention. And Victor might be generous when it came to buying drinks and laying on the compliments, but he was smarmy and creepy and clearly had strong feelings about certain groups that he made no effort to hide. And Sam, well, Maggie hadn’t quite figured her out yet. She was tough as nails, that much was obvious. And she wasn’t exactly warm. But Maggie couldn’t help feeling like she was missing something there. 

“Alright, we’ve got a little hill coming up here, but then you can coast on down for a few blocks.”

“Sounds good,” Maggie called back, though she was pleased to see that it wasn’t one of Metropolis’ steepest hills. 

Alex tried not to pant too loudly as she forced her way up the hill. She’d gotten more than a little used to having gears and found herself falling behind Maria…not that she’d complain about the view, especially when she rose up and out of the saddle. Eventually she made it to the top, grinning at the sight of Maria already coasting down the hill, though it looked like she was riding the brakes to give her a chance to catch up. Alex pedaled a little faster, quickly catching Maria. “Hey! Nice job on that hill!”

“Ah, well, I was lucky enough to have gears,” Maggie laughed, watching as Cat pulled up alongside her. 

Finding her bike flying down the hill pretty quickly, Alex stopped pedaling and turned to Maria, but before she could find something witty or charming to say in response, she felt her feet being forced forward and, wholly unprepared for it, found herself being propelled forward. Thanking J’onn for all the times he made her “practice falling,” Alex let herself roll and tried to cover the softest parts of her body, groaning as she finally came to a stop, her stupid “fixie” having hit the sidewalk and tumbled over. 

“Oh my god! Are you okay?” Maggie yelled, squeezing her brakes tightly and jumping off of the bike as soon as she could. She helped a grumbling, slightly dirty Cat to the sidewalk and out of the street as she looked her over for injuries. 

“I’m fine, I promise,” Alex insisted, dusting herself off and trying not to cringe at the few small patches of road burn she could feel already stinging. 

“Are you just trying to be all macho butch here?”

Alex couldn’t help the loud snort. “No, no, just a little embarrassed, I guess. I, uh, I haven’t really ridden a fixie…on hills,” she added, hoping she could maintain her cover story.

“Eh, there’s a reason I didn’t want to touch it. I’m sorry!”

“Hey, I could’ve finished my repairs on another normal bike…this one’s getting sold to the nearest gullible hipster I can find as soon as I can dust off the dirt.”

Maggie found herself laughing, inexplicably drawn in by this slightly gruff and much less put together version of Cat. “Let me walk you home, okay? I can help you treat those injuries.”

“You just trying to get a look at this hot body?” Alex teased, wincing as she laughed. Apparently a slightly bruised rib might be on that list of injuries.

“Mm, you’ve caught me.” Though of course, now that Cat had said something, Maggie couldn’t stop her mind from drifting to the thought of helping Cat to clean up, maybe getting her into the shower…

“Your plan is rather obvious,” Alex teased as she began pushing forward, rolling the damn bike up the hill with her.

“I’m just saying, you don’t have to protect the baby gay forever. Despite the nickname, I am still an adult.”

“I know, I know,” Alex conceded. “It’s just…well, you probably missed out on all the slow buildup of firsts as a teenager—or at least, I mean, maybe you still like guys and all, and that’s cool too! But you still missed out on it with some group of the people you were attracted to, and you, ya know, you deserve that kind of romance.” After a beat she added, “Sorry, I think I’m rambling. Still a little scattered from the fall.”

“You’re fine,” Maggie insisted, swallowing her emotions at Cat’s words. They walked in silence to the top of the hill when Maggie finally spoke up again. “I appreciate it, you know. I mean…you took me on a coffee shop date. You made me drinks. You literally packed me a picnic lunch.”

“Oh fuck,” Alex groaned, peering at her bag. “I suspect it’s mainly picnic mush now…”

“Hush, I’m trying to be sentimental.” And dammit if it wasn’t true too.

Alex nodded, keeping her mouth shut.

“Point is: you’re already succeeding in doing the cute dates and the romance and all. So don’t beat yourself up too much about whatever I did or didn’t miss way back in high school. Because this right here…it’s different, but in the best of ways.”

Alex couldn’t help but feel touched, couldn’t help the way the words seemed to resonate with her as well. Because something about this—well, it did feel different—and not different because she was undercover and Maria was kind of evil and it would all come crashing down around her at any moment now, but different because…well, she didn’t want to dwell on the way Maria made her feel. Instead she settled for gently nudging Maria with her shoulder and smiling over at her, being met with a grin and dimples to match. 

When they finally made it back to the apartment, Maggie helped Cat to carry the bikes up, insisting that Cat take the lighter one and pause at each landing to not strain herself, especially if she’d hurt her ribs. She tried to ignore the guilt gnawing at her as she insisted on helping Cat into her apartment, insisted on waiting as she put the bikes back, carefully planting the one mini camera she’d brought with her by the door with a good view of most of the apartment. 

“You sure you don’t need any help cleaning up those scrapes?” Maggie asked. And it definitely wasn’t a way to assuage her guilt—no, certainly not. 

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Alex shrugged, her voice gruff as she tried to look unaffected by the patches of road rash that had started to sting.

“If that’s your attitude, I’m definitely sticking around to help.”

“Fine.” 

Maggie grinned. “Now, tell me what hurts.”

“Mm, are we playing doctor? Cause I can think of a few places I’d like your attention,” Alex flirted, hoping Maria knew she wasn’t being serious about trying to force her into sex or something. 

“So you hit your head then?” Maggie teased back, smiling at the way Cat paused for a moment, her head cocked to the side, then laughed loudly, apparently able to appreciate a joke even at her own expense. 

Hissing in pain as she pushed up her sleeves, Alex peered at the backs of her forearms, noting that one was just a little pink but that the other sleeve must have gotten pushed back when she fell, leaving a thin strip of road rash across the side of her hand and up her wrist. 

“Where’s your bathroom? And do you have any kind of Neosporin or something to treat this with?”

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” Alex answered, walking toward the bathroom and trying to remember if she had left anything out that could reveal that she wasn’t who she said she was. But J’onn had trained her better than that, had trained her to always expect the unexpected, to go deep undercover in all aspects of her life.

Maggie carefully guided Cat over to the sink, rinsing the dirt from her arms and kissing her cheek softly when she cried out in pain at the sting of the warm water. Once her wrists and forearms were treated, Maggie turned back to the woman. “What next?”

“Uh, I think it’s mainly just a few small bruises.”

“And you’ll ice them?”

“Yes, doctor,” Alex teased. 

“Nothing on your back you won’t be able to reach, right?”

“Uh, I don’t think so.” But of course Maria’s words drew Alex’s attention to her back, and she suddenly noticed the sting right above her waistband where her sweatshirt likely rode up when she fell. “Okay, maybe a little.”

“Do you mind if I lift your shirt up a little bit?” Maggie asked, getting a nod in return. Gently, Maggie lifted the hem of Cat’s sweatshirt and t-shirt up, motioning for Cat to hold them to free her hands. She hoped Cat didn’t see the way her breath caught in her throat at the scant few inches of skin, the muscled v peeking out and looking far too inviting. Trying desperately to keep her mind out of the gutter, Maggie focused on Cat’s back, on the small patch of reddened skin, on her gentle motion as she cleaned it and applied a bit of cream to soothe it. “All set!” she declared, sounding just a little too breathless to her own ears. 

“Wha—? Yeah, great, thanks.” Alex definitely wasn’t distracted by the way Maria’s fingers had felt so perfect on her skin, the way she’d longed to feel them so many other places. 

\---

It wasn’t until the next day when her Mom reminded her to “clean and sweep the apartment” that Alex thought to check to see if Maria had returned the favor. If she’d found the bug and had any suspicions that Alex left it, surely she might have planted something in return, needing to see if Cat was as true to Cadmus as she said she was. Slipping the scanner in the pocket of her hoodie, Alex stumbled out of the bedroom, hoping she could look like it was just any other day. The bathroom was clear, as was the bike garage, though she made sure to grab a book she’d left in the garage to make it look like she’d had a reason for being there. But as she wandered further toward the front of the apartment, she felt the slight rumble of the detector as she neared the door. She scanned everything with her eyes, looking for something out of place, though she didn’t linger long enough to arouse suspicion. 

With her back to the front door, Alex busied herself with the coffeepot and sent a text to Mom: “Hey, I think maybe I’ve got a bug problem in the apartment. Do you think I could borrow a little money to bring in some exterminators?”

“Yes, dear. But it might have to wait a few days. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine,” Alex sent back, resigning herself to being on her best behavior.

\---

The following day, increasingly frustrated by how stilted all of her actions in her own home felt, knowing that Maria could be watching her at any minute, Alex decided that she should have a little fun of her own. If Maria was going to watch, why not give her a bit of a show? Because, dammit, maybe the woman was more evil than she thought and maybe she was so deep in Cadmus that she thought she needed to bug anyone she came into contact with, but Alex knew that she could still manipulate her emotions, knew that she’d seen Maria’s gaze lingering just a little too long when she lifted her shirt, felt her fingers dragging across her skin with a purpose that definitely was more than just cleaning her up. 

So Alex decided to take a shower, pulling on a pair of boxer briefs and a sports bra and nothing else as she wandered out to the kitchen and popped some bread into the toaster. She stretched, making sure to flex as she made her way through the apartment, finally pulling on a pair of sweatpants but keeping it to just the sports bra on top. Surely this would help prove that she had no idea she was being watched…

\---

Maggie tried to be a consummate professional as she watched the tapes, tried to resist the temptation to slow them down to normal speed when Cat strutted across her apartment in next-to-nothing. After all, that wasn’t the point of spying on her; the point was to find out more about Cadmus, to see what Cat might know or why she might have planted bugs. But god…having that many muscles should be illegal. Or illegal if you were evil. Because that just wasn’t fair. 

And sure, maybe it was the motivation for a late night text asking Cat to come over for dinner the following night. But this was all part of a plan, and sometimes her plans involved things she didn’t really need to be on tapes she handed over to her boss. 

\---

Knowing that Maria would be distracted that night, Alex texted to make sure that the “maintenance” crew would come over then and take care of whatever had been planted while she was out, doing their job of moving furniture and appliances, blasting music while they worked, and ultimately knocking into the bug and crushing it on their way out. And if Alex wasn’t there to arouse any suspicions that she might be directing them? All the better. 

She made her way across town with a bottle of wine tucked under her arm, the cuff earring she’d realized was a GPS tracker on, and a teabag full of bugs in her pocket, wondering what exactly she was getting herself into. “For the mission,” she repeated to herself like a mantra, trying not to dwell on why this didn’t feel like any other mission she’d been on. 

\---

Maggie grinned as she swung open the door, finding Cat looking far too good in black skinny jeans and boots with a white button up under a leather jacket. And the bottle of Merlot being presented to her certainly didn’t hurt. “Come in,” she finally said, realizing she’d just been ogling the woman in the doorway for what was probably a noticeably long period of time.

“Thanks.” Alex grinned at the sight of Maria looking slightly less put together than usual with her sleeves rolled up and her hair tied back as she peered into the oven, presumably to check on dinner. “Need any help?”

“No, no, but thank you. It just need a few more minute, though we can leave it for longer just warming if you’re not hungry,” Maggie rambled, feeling like tonight she might end up playing the part of the flustered baby gay rather flawlessly. She probably shouldn’t have rewatched those tapes again, and she definitely shouldn’t have slowed them down to watch Cat go through her lengthy workout, including some delightful yoga poses that she’d love to see reenacted in another context. 

As Maria went to get a corkscrew and two wine glasses, Alex peered around the apartment, marveling at just how large it was and trying not to think about how much a place like this in this neighborhood must cost. “Do you mind if I use your restroom?” Alex asked, wanting to take advantage of Maria’s slightly distracted state.

“Oh yeah, just down the hall, first door on your right.”

As Alex made her way down the corridor, she peeked into the rooms, finding what looked like a home office on the left and the bedroom at the end of the hallway. Slipping into the office, she hid a camera on the bookshelf behind the desk, hoping she might be able to catch glimpses of anything on Maria’s laptop while she worked, since Winn hadn’t made much headway on hacking in again, finding truly impressive defense systems in place that seemed to keep adapting based on his attacks. 

When she heard the clinking of wine glasses, she carefully darted across the hall, flushing the toilet and turning on the tap, hoping Maria hadn’t noticed anything. By the time she came back, Maria had set out two glasses of wine along with a dish of olive tapenade and some fresh bread that smelled amazing on the coffee table in the living room.

“I hope you don’t have any allergies.”

“Nope, I’m good,” Alex insisted, settling in on the couch rather close to Maria and smirking at the way the other woman bit her lip when Alex bent forward, her shirt riding up slightly in the back. She wondered if Maria had appreciated the view she got from the camera. But of course thinking of the camera drove her thoughts back to the case—where they should be.

“So, talked to Sam and Victor lately?” Alex asked, realizing being out of the public eye would make these things a lot easier to talk about freely. 

“Oh, uh, just at the bar last week.”

“Mm, yeah. I feel like I haven’t seen them as much with how often I’m seeing you—not that I’d ever complain about spending more time with you.” Very smooth, Alex thought to herself. Of course, it wasn’t entirely honest. She’d been making a point of talking to Sam and Victor after her shifts and dropping in the odd comment about some of her scientific work for Sam’s benefit—a fact she’d heard brought up gloatingly by Victor when she wasn’t at the table. 

“Well, I think Victor said you’d be joining them at the little rally they have planned next weekend.”

That was news to Alex, though she hoped her face didn’t show it. “Oh…yeah. I think I’ll maybe have to request off work.”

“Yeah…suppose so.” Maggie wondered why Cat seemed less than enthusiastic. “Is it not your kind of event?”

“What? Um, not a huge fan of crowds,” Alex admitted. 

“Oh, hey, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Well, Maggie would still probably go to get pictures of the folks in attendance, but she wasn’t about to drag Cat along if she’d end up freaked out. 

“No, no. Anything for the cause, right?” Alex hoped she didn’t sound sarcastic. 

“Right…” Maggie paused. Even if it was selfishly motivated—desperately trying to find a way to make Cat less evil—she needed to find out how she ended up where she was. “So, uh, if you don’t mind my asking, how’d you end up involved with a group like Cadmus?”

“Oh, um,” Alex paused. Somehow the way she’d told her story to Sam and Victor didn’t seem to fit the mood. Aiming for vulnerability, she cleared her throat. “I, uh, got caught in the fire during one of Superman’s fights. Got really cut up, but no one seemed to care when the big guy was out there saving the day. So I just got left to my own devices…waiting for someone to remember that they still had a job to do just because the resident hero was taking care of the major stuff.”

Maggie swallowed the lump in her throat, pained at the thought of a young Cat left bleeding out in the streets. Sure, it didn’t excuse turning to extremism and hatred, but she felt for her. It was only when she looked up and saw Cat looking at her expectantly that she realized she’d been asked the same question in return. And suddenly her trite dismissal of aliens as being too risky, too costly to a city, seemed out of place. “I just, well, there are always risks when you introduce things like big fights and showdowns with people from other planets with powers we’ve never even dreamed of. And, like you were forced to see, we bear the cost too often. Even if some of them are fighting to save us, there’s always…collateral damage.” She cringed at the clinical wording. “I don’t appreciate that we don’t think of the people who get hurt.”

Alex nodded, remembering that this was exactly the kind of point Cat would agree with wholeheartedly. “It’s nice to know someone was thinking of people like me.”

“Yeah…” Maggie trailed off, feeling silence descend on the room. After a few minutes that felt like ages, she asked, “Did you want to eat?”

“Yeah, sure. Should we move to the table?”

“Sounds good.”

Over dinner the conversation swung back to more pleasant topics, and they fell into an easy rhythm—wine flowing, though both were careful not to drink more than a glass or two, and the meal warm and filling.

By the time they had finished the dishes from dinner, Alex felt comfortable suggesting that they move back to the living room, knowing that getting some of her bugs set up required being allowed access to more of the apartment, and having Maria asleep could only make that easier. 

As they sat side-by-side chatting, Alex let her hand settle on Maria’s knee, feeling the slight shiver that ran through her at the touch, noting the way Maria reached out to keep her hand there. Alex slowly made her way closer and closer to Maria, grinning as the conversation descended into flirty comments and less than subtle innuendo. 

Reaching out to tuck a strand of Cat’s hair behind her ear, Maggie let her gaze drop to Cat’s lips, feeling the way the air seemed to crackle between them until finally Cat was leaning over and capturing her lips in a heated kiss, hands roving and lips parting as they finally let the tension that had been building all night break. 

“Should we go to the bedroom?” Maggie finally asked, hearing just how breathless she already sounded.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I promise.”

And then Alex was letting Maria take her by the hand and lead her back down the hallway to the master bedroom. As they made their way to the bed, shoes and socks were kicked off, the start of a trail of clothing. Before they could do any more, though, Alex drew Maria back to her, kissing her and trying to remember that all of this was just to plant bugs—nothing more. 

Maggie drew her hands up and under Cat’s shirt. “You’re not still in pain, are you?”

“Oh, no, no, you’re good.”

Alex pulled back, helping Maria to undo the buttons on her shirt and push it over her shoulders, her bra soon following. Before she could even check to see if she was okay, to see if maybe she could help Maria get her own shirt off, she felt the woman’s mouth on her chest and groaned loudly. Apparently she was quite the natural. 

“Can yours come off?” Alex panted, gesturing to Maria’s sweater.

Maggie nodded, helping Cat to pull it off, not bothering to point out that it was cashmere and probably shouldn’t be left in a crumpled heap on the floor. When Cat demurred about going straight for her pants, Maggie kissed her hard before pulling back and reminding her, “I’m an adult, okay? I know what I want, and I want you.”

Those words elicited a small growl of want from Alex, and she made quick work of Maria’s pants, letting her own join them in the growing pile at the foot of the bed. “You’re beautiful.”

“So are you.” And god, how true it was. All long lines and lean muscle and mussed hair falling into her big eyes. 

Alex guided Maria up to the pillows, intent on making sure that no matter how things would go down in the weeks to come, she’d still have a nice first time with another woman to look back on…from prison. As her lips found Maria’s once more, she let her fingers drift up and down her side before coming to cup at her breasts, pulling low whimpers from her that turned increasingly needy as the kiss grew deeper.

As Alex pulled Maria’s lower lip between her teeth, her grip growing just a little tighter as her thigh pressed between Maria’s legs, feeling the wet heat of arousal through the thin layer of lace left between them, she suddenly found herself being rolled onto her back. As Maria let one leg fall between her own, her hips rolling in time with Alex’s and her mouth coming up to nip and suck at Alex’s neck and jaw, Alex let out a small laugh.

“Is something wrong?” Oh god, was this somehow all some sick joke? Maggie wondered. Should the bugs have tipped her off that she was already suspected as not being a real member of Cadmus.

“It’s just cute, that’s all.”

“What do you mean?” Maggie pouted.

“You trying to top me your first go around and all.”

“Oh!” Maggie paused, fumbling for words, trying to remember how nervous she’d been the actual first time she fell into bed with a woman. “I, uh, I guess I just did what felt natural.”

“A natural top, huh? Let me see if I can’t show you a few joys that come from being on your back tonight…”

And god, Maggie wasn’t the kind to give up control like that during a one-night stand, but the way the promises dripped from Cat’s lips made her think it might just be worth it.

“Actually, uh, while we’re stopping…are you, um, I mean, have you been tested?” Alex asked, suddenly uncertain. It’d been a long time since she went undercover in any kind of situation like this, and she wasn’t the reckless young twenty-three year old she once was. 

“Oh, yeah, sorry, I probably should’ve led with that before I asked you in here, huh? I have been, though, and totally fine. And, uh, are you?”

“It’s fine,” Alex insisted. “And yeah, I am.”

“In that case…” And Maggie let herself be rolled back over, let Cat push a thigh up between her legs, let herself relax just enough to be surprised by how quickly her own orgasm washed over her as she grasped at Cat’s ass, holding her tight against her center as her hips faltered until she finally collapsed back into the pillows. But Cat wasn’t done. With every orgasm, she found the woman’s lips at her ear, whispering about all the things she could and would do if she just said the word. And god, maybe she should’ve left it at one, left it at something simple, but Maggie couldn’t find it within herself to say anything but yes, god yes. And over and over again, she let herself be pushed over the edge under Cat’s thigh, her fingers, her tongue and lips, each one seemingly better than the last. 

“Let me do something for you,” Maggie murmured, her head resting heavy on Cat’s chest as she stroked her fingers in lazy patterns up and down the woman’s defined abs. 

“You don’t have to, really.” Alex didn’t add that she wanted it—of course she wanted it—but she worried that it would cross some line she couldn’t uncross. 

“I want to.”

And fuck if those words didn’t do something to her. With a nod, she brought her hand down to hold Maria’s helping to guide her between her legs, let her feel just how wet she’d gotten making Maria come over and over again. “I’ll tell you what I like, I promise.” 

Maggie whimpered at the promise of hearing Cat’s gravelly voice telling her all the things she wanted done to her. And so, hanging on every word to fall from those kiss-swollen lips, Maggie let herself ease back into the role she was playing, let herself gasp in wonder at the pleasure of making love to another woman like it was all brand new once more. She gasped at the clench of Cat’s walls around her fingers, moaned at the taste of another woman’s desire thick on her tongue, cried out as Cat called out the wrong name (and god, it was wrong just how much she wanted it to be “Maggie” echoing off her bedroom walls, wanted it to be real in a way that she knew was wrong, so wrong). 

After several long minutes spent wrapped around one another, Alex pulled back slightly. “Do you want me to spend the night?”

The answer should have been “no.” Maggie knew that, knew just how dangerous it could be to have a Cadmus agent in her bed while she slept. But she couldn’t help but nod, giving in to her own desires as she had all night. Before Cat’s lips had even left hers, she felt herself sinking into a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Alex startled awake at the feeling of soft lips on her shoulder, feeling her whole body tense before she remembered exactly what had happened last night. She tried to keep the creeping sense of guilt at bay, tried to remember that Maria was evil, that she'd bugged Cat's apartment, rather than focusing on just how well their bodies seemed to fit together or just how right they had felt coming together and holding each other fast all through the night. Of course, once Maria had fallen asleep, Alex had crept silently through her apartment, planting mini cameras and bugs with abandon. She'd paused in the bedroom, finally settling on an audio-only recorder. Just because they were sleeping together for now—for the mission, of course—didn't mean she would feel okay about having tapes of all the things that might happen behind closed doors.

"Morning," Maggie whispered, letting her hands drift down Cat's side, tracing gentle patterns across expanses of soft skin.

"Morning," Alex yawned, hoping she didn't seem as tense as she felt. But slowly she felt the tension seeping from her body under Maria's insistent touch. 

"Is this...?" Maggie trailed off, noting the faded white scar that wrapped all around Cat's torso—a jagged line that seemed proof of a break from the life she'd had to the one that people like Cadmus had led her into. Feeling Cat's nod, she exhaled softly, wishing more than anything that she could go back and be there with the woman, make sure she wasn't left injured and bleeding out in the streets, get her to a hospital and show her all the love and care she deserved, keep her from feeling like the solution was some sort of extermination of all the aliens that walked among them.

"I'm sorry," Maggie finally managed, hoping her silence didn't come off as discomfort. 

"You're fine. It's been a long time—all healed now."

Maggie bit her tongue and didn't add that clearly she hadn't, that clearly she was still walking around with scars that went far beyond the physical from what happened that day. Instead she lowered her head and kissed Cat's shoulder once more, feeling the woman relax under her touch. And she knew she shouldn't need this criminal to feel loved, even just to feel like someone gave a shit about her, but dammit she still wanted to give that to Cat. So she let her lips travel up Cat's shoulder and across her upper back, nuzzled into Cat's neck, dropped tender kisses along her jaw until the woman's whole body felt relaxed and pliant. 

"So, uh, you're still okay with everything...from last night?" Alex asked, not wanting yet another thing to feel guilty about on top of the cameras. 

"Yeah," Maggie sighed, contemplating for what felt like the hundredth time how a woman so caring in some ways could be so cold and callous in others.

"Good," Alex nodded, letting herself be rolled over, not fighting it when Maria's lips found hers. Instead she let herself relax and tried to drive away images of the only future they could ever have—one in which Alex supervised a crackdown that would see the woman led away in handcuffs, see the look of betrayal flashing in her deep brown eyes that were impossibly warm for someone supposedly as cold and ruthless as Lillian. 

She couldn't quite bite back the whimper that fell from her lips at the feeling of Maria's nails running up her thighs. "Sorry," Alex mumbled.

"You're fine. After all, you did a lot more for me last night...perhaps I should return the favor?"

"It's fine, really," Alex insisted, shaking her head. The last thing she wanted was for Maria to feel obligated to reciprocate all of the things Alex still wanted to pretend she'd only done to plant bugs. 

"What if I want to, Cat?"

And, god, the low timbre of her voice should be illegal, Alex thought. So she found herself nodding, found her head being guided back to the pillows, found herself murmuring instructions about how to eat another woman out that really seemed unnecessary with just how well Maria was doing on her own. 

By the time she was tasting herself on Maria's tongue, Alex knew she needed to get out of there, needed to get far, far away from this woman who seemed to exert an impossibly strong pull on her. So she stumbled out of bed and grabbed for her clothes, claiming she'd forgotten about an inventory shift down at the bar and kissing Maria once more—to maintain the facade, she insisted, even though she knew deep down that it was about holding the woman one last time.

"Do you want...I don't know, do you want breakfast to go?" Maggie asked. The crack in her voice was surely all part of the act—just another way of maintaining the role of the newly out lesbian feeling slightly uncertain about where things stood now. 

"I really have to go. But, um, why don't you come by the bar tonight? Drinks are on me."

"Okay," Maggie nodded. Trying for light, she added, "I suppose I should catch up on work!"

"Definitely a good idea." Alex hated that she'd spend the next few hours listening and watching every minute of her movements, finding out what exactly that work entailed. 

With one last kiss that left both of them pulling back before they could demand more, could fall back into bed and hold each other tight and insist that tomorrow never had to come, Alex was gone. 

\---

When she got home, Alex found a note from the "exterminators" letting her know that her bug problem had been handled. Debating the merits of listening to the tapes with a glass of whisky (the fact that it was barely 10am mattered little in the face of the guilt eating away at her), Alex finally summoned her courage, rewound them to a few minutes before she left, and hit play. Immediately, her room was filled with the sounds of her own breathy moans followed by achingly sincere words that had her fumbling to mute, to fast forward, to get far away from the sounds and sights of her looking every bit the part of the compromised agent. 

Finally she caught up to the present, watching as Maria curled up on her couch with a mug of coffee, looking smaller and less self-assured than she'd ever seen her. And, oh, how her heart ached at the image, at the thought that her sudden departure had somehow caused it.

The next two hours found Maria washing dishes, showering, and talking to what sounded like a real estate agent about some office space downtown. Alex sent the confirmed location to Mom along with the move-in date Maria had mentioned, not even bothering to disguise the meaning behind it this time. 

"Can you call me?" she got back almost immediately.

"Hello?" Alex answered when she heard the phone click on.

"Your apartment is clear, and we're willing to risk it with the phone. Winn will be monitoring the call for any outside interference," came J'onn's voice.

"Okay." Whatever it was, it must be serious for J'onn to take any risks willingly. 

"The bug left behind in your apartment has been disabled, but it's much more sophisticated than anything we've seen since Lord Technologies."

"Didn't we sort of know Cadmus would have tech like that?"

"We had our suspicions," J'onn conceded, "but this is more than we'd realized. I need you to be more vigilant than ever. It was sending signals back to locations in National City, but not to the location of her employer this time. I—" he paused, "I need you to tell me if you think your identity has been compromised."

"What? No...no, I don't see how it could be." Still, she felt her stomach drop. It was every undercover agent's worst nightmare—not only putting themselves at risk, but compromising the whole mission too.

"Okay, I'm trusting you. But if you think it has been—if you are given even the slightest indication that it might have been—I need you to tell me immediately. We have other ways of bringing their operation down that don't involve putting your life on the line."

"Yes, sir."

"Now is there anything more you need from us?"

"I could use more surveillance equipment. I planted several bugs in Maria's apartment yesterday evening."

"Send us a still of her—we'll run it through facial recognition programs, try to see if she has any records, anything on file that might give us more insight into whom she's working with in National City." 

"Will do."

\---

"Hello," Maggie answered, forcing herself out of bed to go switch on the white noise machine.

"Are you able to talk?" Kate's voice came through the line.

"Yeah."

"We have an issue."

"And that is?"

"Your little Cat Sullivan's got quite a few identities."

"What?" Maggie felt all the warmth that had lingered in the apartment since Cat's arrival last night evaporate, being replaced with a chill that she felt deep in her bones. She should have known better than to get this invested, should have been better at investigating the woman along the way, looking into all the little things that didn't add up.

"Her face—it pings several files. But they're all encrypted under the tightest lock and key we've ever seen."

"So...she's even more dangerous than we assumed?"

"That," Kate agreed, "but...I don't know why there would be this much effort put into hiding the past of a criminal, unless Cadmus has big plans for her or she's keeping something from them too."

"Fuck."

"How are things going with her? You're staying safe?"

"Uh, sure."

"That doesn't sound like you're sure."

"She was here last night," Maggie finally admitted, knowing that it was always better to be upfront with Kate than to wait for the fallout later—a lesson she'd been lucky enough to learn on her very first assignment with Kane Agencies.

"Have you checked the apartment?"

"I will now." Internally berating herself for assuming that she could never have been the easy mark for someone, for assuming that what she was feeling (no matter how much she tried to deny it) was real and felt just as strongly by Cat, Maggie grabbed the scanner and began her path through the apartment, gritting her teeth each time a new location pinged with a well-concealed bug. 

"What do you want me to do with them?" Maggie asked.

"Bag and destroy, then dispose of them." It was too late to worry about the woman knowing she'd been found out; now it was time to go on the offensive. 

With a nod, Maggie went about her task with a cool, detached efficiency that felt far too similar to the way she'd felt after things with Emily fell apart, to the days she'd spent carefully, methodically finding and removing every trace of the woman that had been left behind, the ways their lives had wound themselves together over five years. With every new camera and recorder added to the bag, she let her heart wall itself back away. 

\---

It was with a sense of dread that Alex made her way to the bar for her shift that night. Not only had Maria found and disabled all of her bugs, but Winn, having worked at an astonishingly fast pace, had managed to find the woman's face popping up all across old traffic camera footage from around National City that he'd been saving for the past year or two ("it's totally probably legal-ish!" he'd insisted). Gone was the posh wardrobe and shiny Audi—replaced with leather jackets, tight jeans, and a Triumph Bonneville T100. Her ex-fiancé was nowhere to be found, but in his place was a string of beautiful women who looked all too happy to be wrapped around the woman on her motorcycle, bracketed by her arms against the brick walls of dive bars, led down the streets by her to a string of hotels and apartments. And all of it was far too close to the DEO for anyone to feel comfortable about the security of Alex's identity. She'd insisted that if she didn't show up to the bar that night, it would be all the confirmation Maria and Cadmus needed that she wasn't who she claimed to be. J'onn begrudgingly allowed it, making Alex promise to wear her GPS tracker and to check in with him at the slightest sign of danger. 

For once, Alex was glad Waverly wasn't working; she didn't have it in her to act cheerful—she needed to save that for Maria's arrival. But of course, there were Sam and Victor parked at their usual table, grinning and waving at her. Now she saw the fangs behind the smiles, the menace in every gesture, in every suggestion that they knew more than they were ever supposed to learn. 

After a few forced pleasantries, Alex excused herself to the bar, setting to work on polishing the glasses and stepping in to take as many of the orders as possible—intent on looking much too busy to have time to go speak with her Cadmus "friends." 

When Maria walked in, though, Alex felt her attention being drawn to her as if by some magnetic pull. Fueled by a mix of anger and arousal, fear and feelings she'd deny, Alex waved to her.

Maggie waved back at the woman who was hell-bent on bugging her apartment, on finding out her real identity, then wove her way through the small crowd that had gathered in the middle of the bar to get to Cat. 

"Hey," Maggie greeted Cat, trying to figure out how she should act. If the woman was really doing inventory, perhaps she had no idea that she'd disabled all of the cameras. 

"Hey," Alex waved, finding herself blessedly distracted by a customer waving her down. "Be right back." Maybe a bit of time away would help her to figure out how to treat this...stranger. And if she could get her to stomach to stop swooping, to stop remembering the way this woman's hands and tongue felt between her legs, on her chest, across her body, that would be ideal. 

Perching on one of the stools by the bar, Maggie waited for Cat to finish making drinks as she contemplated whether or not to act like things were normal. Her answer came all too soon when Cat was relieved by one of the other bartenders she recognized by face but wouldn't be able to name, who told her to go enjoy the rest of the night with "her girl."

"Oh, uh, you sure?" Alex asked, sincerely hoping he'd tell her that actually it was really crowded and he didn't want to deal with the rush himself. 

"Yeah, go have a night off for a change, man!"

"Uhm, okay, thanks." Alex forced a grin and slipped out from behind the bar. "So, I'm apparently done for the day now."

"I heard." Maggie smiled and sat in silence.

Victor's drawl came as a pleasant interruption for a change. "Ladies! Come join us?"

With tight smiles, they both followed him back to his booth where they were joined only by Sam and Tasha for a change. They laughed while gritting their teeth as Victor joked about the "glow" of new relationship bliss, followed by innuendo that would normally leave them poking each other and trying not to be too blatant about their eye rolls. When Sam brought up their plans for the following weekend, speaking vaguely enough to keep the exact nature of their plans clear only to those already in the know about the coming rally, they perked up. 

"I assume you'll both be joining us?" Sam asked, though her expression made it clear that there was very obviously only one correct answer.

"Of course," Alex agreed with a small smile and a tip of the beer that had been dropped off for her only moments after they settled into the booth. 

Wouldn't miss it," Maggie chimed in, figuring she'd keep Cadmus convinced she was on board with everything as long as she could, even if they were going to bug her apartment and send potentially the worst they had to offer after her. 

After what felt like the longest hour of her life, Cat was finally granted an out in the form of Victor's overly invasive questioning. "What's wrong with the resident lovebirds? A lover's quarrel, perhaps?" 

It was one way of putting it, Alex thought, fighting back a snort of derisive laughter. Can one bicker about being lied to about absolutely every detail of a person's life? 

"Think we're just a little tired," Maggie finally offered with a tight-lipped smile, not bothering to mention that she'd spent the night having some of the best sex of her life—sex that felt far too much like it meant something, like there were feelings involved—only to wake up to an apartment full of cameras and recording devices left behind by a woman who apparently had quite the past to hide. 

"Ah, well, I wouldn't be the one to stand in the way of you two getting back to bed," Victor added with a snicker of amusement, managing to make Tasha grin along with him. 

"What do you say, babe?" Alex asked, nearly growling the term of endearment.

"Can't say no to you." Because saying no wasn't part of the mission, wasn't going to get her any closer to answers about whomever this mysterious woman really was. 

"Why don't we go back to my place tonight," Alex suggesting, needing to be in her own space when dealing with this woman who now felt like a stranger she'd happened to fall into bed with. 

"Oh, but we had so much fun at my place," Maggie demurred, her voice barely a low whisper.

"I think you'll find that as someone who's been out a little bit longer, I have some...toys you'll appreciate."

Maggie couldn't help the way her heart sped up just a little at the thought, the way her abs clenched and her cheeks heated up at the thought of Cat in a strap on, of her in a strap on fucking Cat... "I guess your place it is."

"Perfect." And with a grin that was just a touch too wide, Alex threw down enough money to cover their drinks and led Maggie out the door, hailing a cab rather than walking her home with her bike yet again—that was for leisurely strolls, reminiscent of better times that now made her feel like she'd been had and everyone but her knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience on this chapter!! I had to deal with the GRE before I could focus on writing (but now it's done! Only the GRE lit subject test left at the end of the month...) 
> 
> I think we all know what's up next....hoping to have that one posted on Sunday!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The beginning is smutty and rather NSFW, but it goes back to less explicit plot about 2 Word pages in…

Stumbling through the doorway to her apartment, Alex knew this was a bad idea, knew she shouldn’t let herself get any closer to this woman—whomever she was—but she couldn’t help the way her hands and lips seemed drawn to her. Of course, all of the softness and intimacy of the night before was long gone, replaced with bruising grips and sharp teeth dragging across heated skin. She just needed to get Maria out of it enough to slip up, to give away some detail about just who had sent her, about just how much she already new of Alex’s real life back in National City. 

Maggie gasped as Cat pushed her into the cold steel of the door—an intoxicating contrast to the fire that seemed to burn beneath her skin. She drew a leg up and around the woman’s hips as a muscular thigh pushed up against her. With her head tipped back against the door, her throat open to the assault of Cat’s teeth, Maggie idly wondered whether this show was closer to who the woman really was than the soft, tender caresses of their last evening and morning together. God, had it really been just a few hours ago? This probably wasn’t the best idea, letting herself be taken back to the apartment of someone Kate had just confirmed was likely a much more dangerous criminal than they had ever suspected. But perhaps, she reasoned, perhaps she could coax some kind of confession out of her after…when she was just a little too blissed out to think. But pretty much all coherent thought was driven from Maggie’s mind when she felt Cat’s fingers deftly pulling at the button of her jeans. 

“You okay?” Alex panted. Just because the woman was a liar and a criminal and a bigot didn’t mean she didn’t deserve some basic courtesy.

“Fine. You?”

“Good.”

Maggie nodded, letting her head drop back against the door and wondering why this hardened criminal gave a shit about other kinds of proprieties. She’d check in every moment about consent and limits, but not hesitate to leave cameras and recorders in every single corner of her apartment while she slept unaware. The inconsistency was…striking. Maggie still couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. She gave up trying when Cat’s fingers found their way beneath the lace lingerie she’d pulled from one of Maria’s drawers that she hadn’t before touched. 

“Fuck,” Alex muttered as she found Maria wet and waiting for her. It shouldn’t turn her on to know that Maria liked her—or at least wanted her. But at least it would make her task of fucking the enemy just a little less unenjoyable. 

Maggie canted her hips forward, burying her head in Cat’s neck as she felt two fingers easily slipping inside of her. She tangled the fingers of the hand that wasn’t braced against the doorframe in Cat’s short hair, tugging perhaps a bit less gently than decorum would call for, but, dammit, decorum didn’t call for bugging your date’s apartment either. 

Hooking her fingers forward, Alex fucked Maria hard and fast—unrelenting as she watched the woman trying to hold on just a little longer. She nearly growled in satisfaction when she felt Maria coming undone, Alex’s hard grip on her waist the only thing keeping her upright. 

While Cat waited for her to catch her breath, Maggie seized the opportunity to gain the advantage, pushing Cat further back into the apartment, guiding her to the couch as she nipped and sucked at her lower lip. She smirked at the startled gasp that fell from Cat’s lips when she hit the edge of the couch, revealing the cracks in her otherwise all-too-composed façade. 

“You okay?” Maggie checked, arching a brow as if in challenge.

“Perfect,” Alex purred, ready to throw Maria down on the couch and have her way with her again and again—all to get her open and willing to speak, of course. It was to her great surprise, then, when she found herself being turned around and pushed down to lean over the edge of the couch, her arms darting out to break her fall forward. Part of her wanted to object that none of this is how she had imagined their night going, but then again, she hadn’t exactly imagined finding out that the baby gay had hookup buddies scattered all across National City either. And she couldn’t really deny the appeal of Maria’s hands gripping at her waist, the way she bucked forward like she had quite a bit of experience in this position, perhaps with a few straps of leather around her hips and a silicone appendage between her legs. 

“Still good?” Maggie asked, her fingers stilling to give Cat a chance to respond.

“Yeah,” Alex nodded, biting down on her thumb to keep from whimpering in anticipation as Maria nudged her legs apart and dragged her jeans and briefs down and over her ass just enough to get where she needed to be. She supposed she should perhaps be embarrassed about how wet she already was, but she couldn’t bring herself to care when Maria’s fingers were teasing at her entrance, toying with her in a way that was so different from the nervous hesitancy of the night before. 

Channeling all of her frustrations at Cadmus and this woman who had gotten under her skin, Maggie fucked Cat hard and fast, biting her lip at the delicious moans now falling freely from her lips—a steady stream of “fuck” and “please” and “dear god harder” that had Maggie all too close to the edge herself. By the time Cat was coming and soaking her hand, Maggie had to bite down to keep from crying out in ecstasy right along with her.

“Bedroom,” Alex growled. “Now.” She tried to ignore how shaky her legs still were or the way that Maria reached out an arm to keep her steady as they made their way across the apartment. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on how amazing the woman was in bed (and out of bed, apparently) or how courteous she could be when she wasn’t planting cameras and lying like crazy. If she let herself be dragged down onto the mattress and into a searing kiss, well, it was easy enough to justify a short pause to regain her strength for the showdown they both knew was coming. 

\---

“So,” Alex murmured during a break in their evening. “Excited for this weekend’s rally?”

Maggie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Why was Cadmus still testing her? “Of course, can’t wait.”

“You know…Sam told me you might be lending some of that new office space of yours to the cause. Bet that’ll win you some new friends.” Maybe it had been Victor, and maybe he’d been a little drunk and talking about the plans Sam had in mind, rather than any set in reality, but if she could get Maria to admit to it, then that was more than enough to bring her in for something. At least enough to detain her for questioning. After all, rights and laws always got a little more lenient when it came to associating with known terrorist organizations.

“Oh?” Maggie tried to school her face into a more neutral expression. Perhaps this was the ultimate test: if she were willing to sacrifice the integrity of her business, then she would prove herself loyal to the cause, perhaps even loyal enough to lose whatever criminal stalker they’d set on her. Sure, the criminal stalker was pretty phenomenal in bed and gorgeous to boot, but that didn’t change the kind of person she was. “Yeah…I’m sure if we could find a way to make our business needs match on paper, there could be some lab space reserved for them.”

“Mm, yeah,” Alex nodded, trying to figure out how to transition into a more aggressive mode of questioning when she was naked, her legs still tangled with Maria’s. “All that power—pretty hot,” she finally managed, screaming internally at herself for such a terrible line.

“Oh, uh, really?” Maggie hoped she managed to sound flirtatious instead of just confused. It wasn’t like Cat had seemed all that invested in Maria’s finances up until this point. Though, she reasoned, Lillian and Roulette were just the types to care.

Alex just nodded, kissing Maria soundly as she brainstormed. “Since you seemed pretty comfortable with all of this, how would you feel if I got out some…toys from my nightstand?”

Maggie couldn’t quite help the way her hips bucked up into Cat at that offer, the way her breath seemed to catch in her throat. Surely the woman would slip soon—she’d already been close to getting details about what exactly Cadmus needed from her before she was fed the information that could actually lead to their downfall. “Yeah, yeah, okay.”

“Wonderful,” Alex purred, reaching into her nightstand and pulling out just about everything she had, hoping the handcuffs and tape would just blend in with an assortment of other toys that might seem kinky enough. She even dumped a whole box of condoms on top of the mess, figuring the bright foil wrappers might distract from everything. 

“Wow.”

“Mhmm. I though, well, I’m pretty into the idea of a little light bondage, you know? And I bet you’d look just gorgeous tied up in my bed…” 

“Oh…uh, you know, I’ve never really done that before.” Maggie felt her heart race from a mixture of fear and adrenaline and arousal that really shouldn’t be there.

“Yeah, well, up until last night you’d never had sex with another woman, right?” Alex reasoned, looking for some flash of guilt in Maria’s eyes, an indication that she was lying about her whole life. “And you sure seem to have liked that.”

“Right, um, I suppose so. And you’ll be careful?”

“Of course.” It wasn’t like they’d be fucking. “We can use the color system – green is good, keep going; yellow is pause, I need a break; and red is stop immediately. I’ll check in but you can yell them out too.” 

“Okay,” Maggie shrugged, wondering if the woman was just kinky, not out to kidnap her. Still, she only offered her left wrist, wanting her good arm free if it seemed like anything was about to change. She tried not to shiver at the feeling of thick leather wrapping around her wrist or the sight of Cat’s chest right by her face. 

As she clicked the first cuff on, threading the chain through one of the bedposts, Alex couldn’t help feeling a surge of guilt. She knew this was poor top etiquette, but, dammit, this woman was a criminal and a bigot who had just admitted to consorting with and abetting a terrorist organization, and she deserved to be handcuffed. Sure, maybe the “normal” way of doing it would be to cuff her hands behind her back and shove her in the backseat of a squad car, but tonight cuffing her wrists to her bedframe would have to make due.

“Maria Sterling,” Alex growled as she slipped the other cuff around her wrist, “I have a few questions for you.”

Sensing the change in mood, Maggie quickly dragged her wrist out of the cuff before Cat could secure it, watching as the woman’s expression morphed from a kind of arrogance to shock to anger. Unable to pull the cuffs free from the bedframe before Cat had yanked them back, keeping her there, Maggie lunged forward, grabbing Cat’s wrist and trying to twist the cuff free. 

“Let’s start with your real name,” Alex barked, sending an elbow flying into Maria’s chest that left her gasping for breath. She was shocked when the woman managed to recover in what seemed like seconds, rolling forward and tightening her legs around Alex’s waist. “What? Is this all foreplay to you?” Alex taunted.

Drawing all the strength she could muster in such a compromised position, Maggie jerked her hips over, grinning in satisfaction as Cat found herself flung over top of Maggie, loosening her grip on the cuff just enough for Maggie to yank it free.

Now free from the space constraints of having to clutch at a cuff, Alex lunged forward throwing Maria down against the bed and attempting to pin her arms, which she’d managed to keep beneath her chest.

With a grunt of effort, Maggie pushed her upper body off the bed, unsettling Cat, who had been straddling her hips to keep her down. 

Within seconds, they found themselves on the ground, rolling across the floor, exchanging kicks and punches just as easily as they had traded heated kisses earlier. In a moment of distraction, Alex let her thoughts drift to what a great sparring partner Maria would make. It was in that moment that Alex felt the other cuff being fastened around her own wrist. 

“Tell me who you are and why they sent you,” Maggie demanded, her chest heaving with exertion and her breathing ragged.

“You don’t get to ask questions when you’re under arrest,” Alex snapped, lashing out with her free hand.

“Under arrest?” Maggie scoffed. “What, Cadmus hands their criminal consultants fake badges now?”

“Criminal consultant?” Alex asked, pausing for a moment. Sure, everything about Cadmus was criminal, but Maria was the consultant, not her.

“I know your real history has been wiped clean. So how bad was it? Murder? Kidnapping?”

“I’m a bartender, that’s all,” Alex insisted.

“In what world does a bartender have military-grade surveillance equipment to plant, some hacking skills that rival the best of the best, or a fucking right to arrest people?”

Alex clenched her jaw. She didn’t really have anything good to say about the bugs. But it was fine because Maria wouldn’t be able to report back to anyone, too busy spending her days and nights staring at the thick walls of her new solitary cell in the DEO’s desert bunker. She’d soon find that covert government organizations didn’t have quite as many rules to follow. “I’m the one who gets to ask the questions. After all, you planted bugs of your own. And let’s not forget that you aren’t exactly the person you say you are. So why don’t we start with your real name—you know, the one you might have given to all those women around National City.”

Maggie felt her stomach lurch. Here it was—the situation every undercover operative most dreads—a compromised identity. She sat in silence, refusing to give up any information that would put Kate or the rest of her team at risk.

“If that’s how you’re gonna play it, you can wait until you’re sitting in a cell to start talking,” Alex grumbled, roughly dragging Maria upright and pulling her a few feet until she could reach her phone. With an immobilizing kick to keep Maria from interfering, Alex called J’onn.

“Hello?” came her “mother’s” voice.

“I need a pick up and transport back to the detainment facility. One prisoner. Cadmus operative.”

“Roger. We’ll send a unit to your location now.”

“Wait!” Maggie yelled. “I’m not a criminal!”

“Yeah, okay,” Alex scoffed. 

“How are you…are you not Cadmus? Is that why there’s no trace of you?”

Given that Maria wouldn’t be around long enough to tell Sam and Victor the truth, Alex turned to her with a sharp glare. “No, I’m not Cadmus. Unlike you, I’m not a terrorist. I’m the one that’s going to bring you all down to your goddam knees.”

The corner of Maggie’s mouth curled up before she could bite back her gut reaction, though she managed not to make any inappropriate jokes. “That was my goal too. I’m an undercover operative.”

“Bullshit. We’d know better than to send two agents in.”

“Agent? What, you some kind of fed?”

“Oh good lord, are you one of those fucking vigilantes?”

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” Maggie joked. 

“I don’t have a badge with me. What kind of dumbass undercover agent brings a badge with their real identity on a mission?”

“A fed,” Maggie deadpanned, amusement glinting in her eyes despite the circumstances. 

“I still don’t believe you.”

“Honey, I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you, and you’re handcuffed to me, so it isn’t far.”

“Who do you work for?”

“I’m not just gonna give that up when you haven’t told me either,” Maggie countered. 

“I’m letting my team come and pick you up and throw you in prison otherwise. Incentive enough to get talking?”

Maggie debated the merits of speaking up. The mission and her identity were already compromised, but perhaps…maybe if this woman really was undercover, she could go back in after all of this was cleared up. And if the woman was lying, well, Bruce had ways of helping clear up certain kinds of problems. Cold hard cash performed a lot of miracles. “I work for Kane Agencies in National City. Name’s Sawyer, Maggie Sawyer.”

Pulling her phone back out, Alex called “mom” once more. As soon as she heard the line click on, she began speaking. “I need someone to verify an identity now: Maggie Sawyer. Undercover operative with Kane Agencies in National City.”

“One second,” the woman said, sending out alerts to J’onn and Winn, making sure he knew it was an emergency. 

While Alex waited, Maggie nudged her. “What about you? I think I should get to call and get some background checks done on you too.”

“Alex,” she grunted. 

“Ah, so instructive. Very rare name.”

“You get more when I know who you are.”

“I already told you.”

“You get more when I get confirmation.”

“Fine,” Maggie huffed, wishing that Cat—no, Alex—had let them get some clothes on before all this started. Late autumn in Metropolis could be quite cold. 

Eventually J’onn came over the line himself. “We’ve confirmed that a Margaret Sawyer has been issued W2s by Kane Agencies for the past seven years, and the still you sent us from the video footage matches the only photo of Ms. Sawyer on record—one that had to be…I believe Winn said ‘liberated’ from certain security measures.”

“So she’s whom she says she is?”

“It would appear so. But proceed with caution.”

Alex nodded, knowing just how J’onn felt about these vigilante types—the kind who threw off the official, registered missions or swooped around Gotham and, of late, even National City in masks and homemade uniforms, more often obstructing justice than helping.

“So, you’ve gotten mine. Time to show me yours.”

“I think you’ve already seen everything, Sawyer,” Alex huffed. 

“You won’t hear me complaining about that…but I mean your full name. Alex doesn’t really give me a whole lot to go on, and if you want me to believe you, I get to check in with my bosses too.”

“You won’t find me. Formally, we don’t exist.”

“Ah, you some covert branch of the CIA?” Maggie teased, pausing when Alex merely shrugged. 

“Something like that.”

“Try me. Just because you think we’re unaware vigilantes doesn’t mean we lack all resources.”

“Fine, Alex Danvers.”

“Organization?”

“DEO,” Alex finally gave in, dreading the amount of paperwork she’d have to fill out for this admission, though she took comfort in the knowledge that Maggie would be forced to do so as well.

Maggie arched an eyebrow when Alex didn’t budge as she stood. “Come on now, Danvers. I need to get my phone, so you’re stuck coming along for the trip.”

Eventually they made their way across the apartment to Maggie’s bag, which had been dropped carelessly by the front door. She dialed Kate, not looking forward to having to admit that her identity had been compromised. 

“Hello?” Kate answered.

“Hey, Kate, it’s Maggie.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Well, uh, sort of. It would seem Cat Sullivan doesn’t quite exist, and she knows that Maria Sterling doesn’t either.”

“What do you mean? Are you alone?”

“No, I’m here with her.”

“I’m switching over to video feed. I need proof that this isn’t a hostage situation. You know this isn’t protocol.”

“No!” Maggie yelled out, but a blurred out version of Kate soon swam into view—too grainy for any possible captors to get any sense of what she looked like or where she was. 

“Hello,” Maggie grinned sheepishly into the camera, trying to keep the view from the neck up. Of course, it didn’t hide the bloody lip Alex was sporting or the reddish hue of one cheek where Alex had made contact. And it certainly didn’t disguise their hair that seemed to scream out, “We just fucked!” even more than their lack of attire. “This is Alex Danvers, apparently she’s also undercover investigating Cadmus.”

“You know, I thought you might sleep with your mark. Or I thought you might end up beating up the mark that tried. I didn’t expect you to do both,” Kate teased before turning back to business. “Now I’ll need to verify that this Alex Danvers is a real identity.”

“Understood,” Maggie nodded. “She said she works for some secret government organization.”

“The DEO,” Alex chimed in, managing to look somewhat official even in the nude.

The blurriness kept Maggie from seeing the way that Kate’s lip curled back in a sneer, her eyes narrowing. “I see.”

“Do you know it?” Maggie asked, ready to throw it back in Alex’s face.

“Yes,” Kate answered, her tone brusque. 

“Do you have any way of confirming that Alex works there and really is meant to be undercover investigating Cadmus?”

“I’ll see what I can do. Give me a minute.” She thought of Agent Chase, the way she’d blackmailed Kate into working for her until she was finally able to get out from under her thumb, thought of all the cocky feds who thought they were too good for cooperation, too good for laws and due process. 

Eventually Kate clicked back on the line. “She’s real. Agent Alexandra Danvers currently on duty in Metropolis as a one Catharine Sullivan.”

“Catharine? Alexandra?” Maggie mouthed, looking far too gleeful.

Alex scowled back at her, then mouthed: “Really, Margaret?”

“It would seem the breaches into your accounts came from the DEO, not anyone in Cadmus, so your identity is still safe,” Kate informed Maggie.

“Got it, thanks.”

“Check back in within the day.” 

“Will do. Thank you, Kate, I appreciate it.”

“Of course, Mags. Now be safe, okay? I don’t ever want to have to worry about you like that again.” 

“I will, I promise.”

Once Maggie hung up, she and Alex turned to face each other. After a moment of silence, Maggie finally spoke up: “So…what now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love hearing your thoughts!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath...

Trying not to think about how adorable Maggie looked in the long sweatpants she’d borrowed that pooled at her feet—and really, it wasn’t fair for someone to look that cute in baggy sweatpants—Alex focused on keeping a glare plastered on her face and looking intimidating. After all, this was a business negotiation.

“I’m not leaving.” Maggie crossed her arms across her chest, wondering just how much of an edge she was losing in these negotiations by the cozy sweats she had borrowed; 3am just didn’t seem the time to have to drag back on formal attire.

“I’m not either. I was here for weeks before you, and I’m the only reason you have half the contacts you do.”

“And I appreciate it, but while you’re behind the bar, I’m the one that’s been getting close to them at the table.”

“Yeah? And I know every word that they say to each other when neither of us is around.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I have that whole table bugged.”

“Ah, but that means you have no usable recordings from the times when I was there—you pretty much need me, Danvers.”

Alex snorted, “I don’t need anyone.”

“Think about it—they already know us as a couple, and having someone else in any situation ensures a bit of security, some backup at all times…”

“What? So you think we’re gonna keep dating now that you’re not my mark anymore?”

“Be a little weird if we were both still hanging out with them after a nasty break up.”

“Really it’d be the lesbian way to break up and stay friends, but I guess you’d know that since you were only ever faking it about being a baby gay.”

“Yeah, well…” Maggie trailed off, picking at the edge of her shirt. “Look, I know we’re kind of bickering about, I don’t know, jurisdiction or whatever, and that we just had each other locked up, and I punched you in the face—”

“I got you too,” Alex interjected, shifting the ice pack on her mouth.

“Yeah, you did get me,” Maggie conceded, failing to hide her grin. “But I wanted to say that how you treated me, even believing I was a pretty shitty person—it was really decent, Danvers. Makes me wish I had someone like you there for me back then.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, no problem.” She tried to tamp down on the swell of indignation she felt at the idea that someone had treated this woman less than perfectly while she was coming out.

They sat in silence for a few moments until Maggie spoke up again: “I think we should work together.” Anticipating Alex’s objections, she continued, “I’m not normally one for working with partners, but from what I’ve seen, I think we’d make a pretty great team.”

Alex paused to consider it. If she wasn’t working with Supergirl, generally J’onn had to fight tooth and nail to get her to bring a partner with her on any missions. But somehow she thought she might understand what Maggie was saying, suspected that they just might be good together—as work partners. “If you fuck this up for me, it’s all on you.”

“The amount of confidence in my skills is truly astounding. You flatter me.” Alex just rolled her eyes. “So, we keep dating.”

“Cat and Maria keep dating,” Alex corrected her.

“Right, right. That’s what I meant.”

“They want Maria to use her money and maybe her office space for some kind of Cadmus initiative, and they want Cat to start proving that she can still be as smart and driven as she once was,” Alex added, thinking back to the tapes. Now that she wasn’t focused on getting Maria to trust her, she could focus on winning over Sam (really, Victor had been too easy). 

“Why doesn’t Maria sponsor her girlfriend’s scientific pursuits? I bet I could turn that office space I’ve got my agency renting into half-office for me, half-lab for you.”

“Damn, that’s like advanced U-Hauling right there.”

“What can I say? Maria’s a fast learner.”

“Well she had an excellent teacher,” Alex shot back, feeling herself relax as they sunk back into the playful banter she’d come to expect with Maggie—well, Maggie as Maria, only this time she didn’t have to feel quite so guilty or on edge at all times.

“That’s true. Very specific directions last night…”

Blushing a brilliant shade of red, Alex let out a huff of annoyance. “It was for the mission.”

“No, no, I’m not complaining! It was really thoughtful of you—making sure Maria would know how to eat pussy properly before you arrested her and shipped her off to prison.”

“According to Orange Is the New Black, it would seem to be a valuable skill there,” Alex teased.

“Mm, yes, making me quite the hot commodity. ‘Sure, she’s a terrorist, but you’ll love the things she can do with her tongue!’” Maggie announced in her best advertising voice, beaming when Alex laughed loudly.

Forcing herself to look serious once more, Alex put down her ice pack and laced her fingers together. “So, you’ll give me lab space, proving that you’re loyal, and I can show that I’m just as valuable as they’d always hoped I might become?”

“And we’ll make sure that when it comes to events and demonstrations, we’re always together as backup and distractions for planting bugs.”

“Yeah, alright. Now, I know we should probably plan for what we’re gonna do at the rally this weekend, but I’m kind of exhausted.”

“Me too,” Maggie agreed, stretching and yawning as if to demonstrate just how sleepy she really was. 

“Want me to call you a cab?” Alex offered.

“What? It’s almost morning. Can’t I just sleep here?”

“I guess you could take the couch…”

Fixing Alex with a stern gaze, Maggie shook her head. “Unlike you, I won’t be creeping around your apartment planting bugs while you sleep. And I’ve already had my tongue literally inside you, so it’s not like spooning is gonna add some weird new level of intimacy to our relationship.”

After a moment, Alex huffed, “Fine.” A beat, then: “But no spooning!”

“Yeah, yeah, you wish I would big spoon you. I’m an excellent snuggler.”

“Sure you are, Sawyer.”

Eventually they made their way back into Alex’s bedroom and settled into the bed. After a few moments, Maggie rolled over onto her side to talk to Alex. “You know, maybe I should’ve taken you up on the offer to sleep on the couch. It might actually be more comfortable than this…is this a futon?”

“We don’t all get put up in some kind of life of luxury,” Alex grumbled. “Or is that what you’re used to normally? Want to become a spy to piss off rich parents?”

With a snort of laughter, Maggie shook her head. “Not even close to rich, and just being gay pissed them off enough for me.”

“Oh. Fuck, I’m sorry. If I’d have known—”

“You’re fine,” Maggie dismissed her concern with a wave. “I’m over it now. Their loss and all that shit.”

“Still,” Alex shrugged.

“How ’bout you make it up to me by telling me something about your real life?”

“Hmm…I’m not really an avid bicyclist.”

“Yeah, the whole flip over the handlebars probably could’ve told me that much.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I’ve gotten quite handy with a bike mechanic’s kit since I’ve been here.”

“I did see the Facebook photos…”

“I know…noticed you lingering one night.”

It was Maggie’s turn to blush and stammer now before finally turning back to her questions in an attempt to deflect the attention back on Alex: “So, alright, you don’t fix bikes for fun. What does the real Alex Danvers do to let loose?”

“Uh…these days? Spar. Work on my motorcycle.”

“Ooh, a woman after my own heart.”

“You ride?”

“Motorcycles, yes. Bikes…not so much.”

“Yeah, though it’s not the worst mode of transit, you know? It’s like living life on the edge takes on a whole new meaning. Plus, yelling obscenities at shitty drivers is a nice, safe way to lose my cool when I can’t strangle the Cadmus lackeys.” 

“Ooh, maybe I should take up yelling at strangers! Though the angry fucking helped a lot too.”

“Yeah, well, you can only do that with Cat, or you’ll ruin our identities.”

Trying not to smirk at what sounded an awful lot like jealousy in Alex’s tone, Maggie batted her eyelashes. “Is that your way of offering?”

“Not what I said. Now go to sleep; the sun’s about to rise.”

“Fine, fine.”

“And no cuddling!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

\---

They woke up curled together, Maggie’s leg hooked around Alex’s waist and Alex’s face burrowed in Maggie’s neck.” Alex would go on to insist that she was simply cold because the building manager hadn’t figured out that he needed to turn on the heat for these godforsaken East coast late fall mornings, ignoring the fact that she couldn’t remember the last time she woke up anywhere near the people she’d allowed into her bed—whether in missions or in real life.

While Alex showered (and secretly did a lap around the apartment checking for bugs, letting out a sigh of relief at the confirmation that those games really were over), Maggie pulled together ingredients for breakfast, and by the time Alex was dressed again, she had omelets and toast plated and ready. 

“Hmm, maybe this whole fake dating is for me,” Alex mused, sliding into a seat as Maggie slid a plate down to her.

“As long as I get something out of it too…” Catching sight of Alex’s suspicious glare, Maggie clarified: “Like some early morning surprise coffee deliveries, a guaranteed date to fend off unwanted suitors at formal events, that kind of thing.”

“Oh, right, yeah. I can do that.”

“Mhm, so speaking of events, we have that Cadmus rally coming up this weekend. Have you gotten any details?”

“Just that we’re meeting by the bar on Saturday afternoon.”

“Were you able to get off work?”

“Yeah, Waverly’s covering my shift.”

“I have to ask: is she evil too?”

“Nah, she seems like a pretty decent person—at least, as decent as anyone that perky can be in my book.”

Maggie snorted. “Does she think you’re evil?”

“Um, she tries to be pretty understanding, but she knows I’m anti-alien. She got the same story about the attack, though, so I think she’s convinced I can be brought around even if she gets why I might still be bitter.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, how did you get that scar?” Maggie asked, thinking back to the jagged white line she had traced across Alex’s back just 24 hours earlier, even if it felt like a lifetime ago now. 

“Oh, er, it actually was kind of an alien attack, but I’m not dumb enough to blame all aliens for it.”

“Fuck,” Maggie swore. “Did you really get left behind bleeding and dying?” Even if Alex seemed like a strong woman, she still hated the idea of her being abandoned like that.

“No, no, nothing like that.” Alex tried not to read too much into just how worried Maggie had looked when she heard about the attack; it meant nothing more than her own concerned reaction to finding out that Maggie’s parents had been less than supportive of her coming out. 

“Good, good…” Maggie trailed off, still looking a little concerned. “So, meeting at the bar!”

“Yeah, but they haven’t mentioned what’s actually going down. Well, I haven’t gotten to listen to the tapes from yesterday or today since either we were together or I was busy investigating you.”

“Want to settle in and listen? I can get our coffees if you want to get the tapes queued up.”

“Works for me.”

“Still take your coffee black, one sugar? Or is that just Cat Sullivan’s order? You’re secretly a non-fat, no-whip pumpkin spice latte kinda gal?” Maggie teased.

With a roll of her eyes and a middle finger directed at Maggie, Alex took off to get the tapes ready, yelling over her shoulder: “Still my order.”

As it turned out, very little information of importance was given on the tapes, though they did get a bit of a heads up that they might be invited back to Sam’s house after the rally depending on how things went, so they both agreed to collect the resources the other hadn’t yet destroyed to see if they couldn’t plant bugs by Sam’s house—neither of them wanted to deal with the consequences of bugs being found insider her home if they were the only ones that had been in there. 

Catching sight of the time, Maggie pulled herself up and off of what actually was a very comfortable couch. “I should head out, still need to call Kate and convince her that teaming up with the DEO isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

“Yeah, I should probably check in with my team as well, let them know about Saturday.”

Maggie nodded, though she didn’t move to leave just yet. “Um, did you want to do something this week?”

“What, like a team meeting?”

“Or, you know, dinner?”

“Oh right, yeah, undercover dating and all.”

“Mhm.” Maggie didn’t add that she’d also gotten rather accustomed to Alex’s near constant presence in her life, looking forward to their midday coffee dates and the nights she spent in the bar more than she cared to admit. 

“Maybe you could take me out for a nice dinner to tell me all about this brand new lab you’re surprising me with?” Alex suggested. 

“So I’m supporting your career and your stomach—I see how it is, found yourself a sugar mama.”

“Caught me. Got myself an evil fairy godmother.”

Rolling her eyes, Maggie turned around and grabbed her real clothes, not particularly looking forward to changing out of Alex’s sweatpants but knowing they weren’t really Maria’s aesthetic. With a loud groan, she shimmied out of the pants and bent down to pull up the tight black designer jeans she’d worn the night before, moving a little more slowly than was absolutely necessary after noticing that Alex’s gaze was trained firmly on her ass. She made a similar show of pulling off the oversized t-shirt and putting back on her bra and silk blouse, and she tried not to laugh when Alex’s head snapped in the other direction as soon as she turned around to face her. 

“All dressed,” Maggie announced, even though she knew Alex was well aware of that fact, having watched the process with rapt attention.

“Good!” Alex’s voice was just a little higher pitched than she would have liked, but she cleared her throat and stood up, guiding Maggie toward the door. “So, I’ll see you someday soon?”

“Looking forward to it.”

As they lingered by the door, neither of them quite sure how to end things, Maggie finally reached for the lock. Halfway out the door, she turned back and grabbed Alex’s hand, pulling her forward just enough for a chaste kiss that still had her heart pounding in her chest. “Bye, Cat.”

“Bye,” Alex managed before shutting the door and letting herself sink to the floor. Apparently knowing they were on the same team would do nothing to help with the confusing jumble of feelings she’d had for Maria.


	11. Chapter 11

“Would you stop pacing,” Maggie hissed, grabbing hold of Alex’s hand and trying to keep her calm as they waited for Sam and Victor to show up to the bar.

“What if they can tell?” Alex whispered back, her mind going into overdrive as she thought about all of the ways this could be a trap, some set up to have them take the fall for whatever horrible deeds Cadmus was surely in the process of committing or a way of getting them into a locked vehicle to kill them or kidnap them. Somehow everything had seemed so much more manageable when she thought she was in the lions’ den alone, back when she could be in Cat’s role 24/7 and keep tabs on each of her marks with equal suspicion. Now she had to deal with not only the knowledge that her identity had been compromised once already—even if it was only because Maggie had an entire team’s resources at her disposal and reason to be cautious around everyone, it still unsettled her normal confidence in the field—but also with the weird give-and-take that came with working with a partner. Now they were Cat and Maria in public and Alex and Maggie behind closed doors—and only one of those relationships operated under clear parameters. Whatever she and Maggie were was…complicated. And dammit it threw her off her game.

Maggie sighed, wishing, just for a moment, that she could bring back the cocky agent that had swept into her life in a tux with a playful bark of a laugh and a lingering gaze, easily worming her way under her usual defenses to get right to her mark with almost reckless efficiency. Of course she preferred the non-evil version of the woman, the Alex who masked her kindness with sarcasm and suspicion, who pretended to avert her gaze when they were changing and woke up holding her close, who gradually began to open up, pieces of her personality shining through even in the “safe” stories she stuck to as she learned to trust Maggie. But when it came to the mission, Alex was in uncharted territory, clearly unaccustomed to working with a partner (and just as unaccustomed to having her cover blown—something Maggie could sympathize with). She seemed cautious now, uncertain of where to draw the lines between fiction and reality. Maggie wondered whether it had something to do with the electricity that seemed to crackle between them as both Cat and Maria and Alex and Maggie, though she shrugged off the thought, knowing better than to assume anyone shared her feelings, confusing as they already were. 

“We have spent almost every day together,” Maggie assured her. “We go on dates and hold hands, and I let it slip to Victor that I was going to invite you to come work with me, which means every single one of them already knows. We’re giving them an image of exactly the kind of couple they want us to be. People like seeing what they want; they trust us. All we have to do is keep from giving them reason not to.”

“Right,” Alex nodded, swallowing and trying to figure out why this all seemed so much harder with Maggie by her side. Perhaps it had something to do with the whole week they’d spent outside of Sam’s watchful eye—a week of dates and romance that felt both more and less real now that the truth had come out. They’d hovered somewhere in a fuzzy gray triangle of partners, friends, and girlfriends, even though none of the terms seemed adequate on their own. The nights she’d let Maggie guide her back to her car, the nights they’d lingered as fingers and tongues flitted across heated skin, left her cold. Because, god, how badly did she want more, want to drag Maggie back to her apartment and sink into the feeling of holding each other close and making each other come until the sun rose. But Maggie wasn’t Maria anymore, and she couldn’t drift back into the easy amorality of Cat’s character with her. Now they dragged each other upstairs and left a few inches between each other on the couch as they sipped at coffee, letting anyone trailing them believe nothing had changed when behind closed doors absolutely everything had. If only she could make her feelings match the new situation…

Spotting Sam’s car driving up the long hill—a hill she’d grown to really enjoy watching Alex bike up on her way to the bar—Maggie grabbed Alex’s hands, pulling her back toward the bike racks where it was a little more secluded. “You got this, Cat.”

“You ready to go hate on all the aliens?” Alex asked, arching an eyebrow at Maggie, who shrugged. It was easier now—now that Alex knew why she sympathized, why she’d fought to make sure she got this case, to make sure she made the bastards pay. Alex hadn’t opened up about why she cared so much, but Maggie figured in time she might. Or, she thought, perhaps the woman was fiercely passionate about all of her missions—but she doubted it; she seemed particularly willing to bring the world to its knees on this one. 

“Could use a shot of courage.” 

Alex’s gaze fitted down to Maggie’s mouth, to the lower lip she’d pulled between her teeth as if daring Alex to reclaim it. Before she could chastise herself for letting her thoughts drift to such inappropriate places, Maggie’s right hand was cupping her cheek, her free hand falling to the brick wall behind them. And then Maggie’s lips—no, Maria’s lips, Alex caught herself—were on hers, and she felt her worries fall away. Somehow they’d make it work—together. 

“Ay! Romeo and Juliet, get in the car!” Victor yelled, letting out a loud bark of a laugh as he stuck his head out the window to wave them over. 

Rolling her eyes at Victor’s antics and letting herself slip back into Cat’s persona, Alex slung an arm protectively—and okay, yes, just a little possessively—around Maggie, guiding her to the car and opening the door for her to slide in before making her way around to get in behind Sam.

“Haven’t seen much of you two lately,” Victor teased in a sing-song voice as he blew exaggerated kisses at them. 

“Mm, busy,” Alex mused, dismissing the question with a flick of her hand as she moved closer to Maggie. 

“I imagine so. Did Maria, uh, pop the question?”

“Shut up,” Sam snapped, nervous that Victor would ruin things just when they were finally getting Cat into a position to be valuable to Lillian, something that needed to happen before the woman decided they were getting a little too slow to be valuable to her, slow enough to become disposable, even. 

“I did, though I’m regretting having told you. Should’ve known you can’t keep your mouth shut for more than a minute,” Maggie sassed. “Once the first round of construction is done, Cat will be able to come in and help work on the designs for her lab.”

“Look at you, Cat, from a bartender to a scientist in a matter of weeks.”

“Just took finding a woman who saw that mixing drinks isn’t all I have to offer.” 

Maggie couldn’t help but notice how sincere Alex looked, the way her gaze seemed much softer than it ever had as Cat as she laced their fingers together. Something inside of her flickered angrily at the idea that anyone had ever made Alex feel less than valuable, less than perfect—enough that even a fake show of faith would move her.

“A bit of confidence and a whole lotta cash,” Victor teased, breaking the moment as Alex gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes, forcing a playful smile on her face. 

“Nothing wrong with splurging when I’m about to become a name partner,” Maggie shrugged, remembering that they’d wanted to be sure Maria was someone who had money, power, and influence in droves. Between the two of them, they’d be all that Cadmus hoped for.

“Perhaps after the event you two should come back to my home—I’m sure I have more than enough champagne for an impromptu celebration,” Sam offered, glancing back at the happy couple in the rearview mirror.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense, if I’ve invited you, I’m happy to have you.”

“That would be great, Sam. Thank you.” 

With a nod that seemed more definitive than any of the promises that fell so readily from Victor’s lips, Sam returned her attention to the road, effectively ending that conversation.

After a few minutes of idle chatter, Sam pulled off into a small parking lot. Maggie knew where they were generally, but she still had no idea what to expect, and even Victor hadn’t been forthcoming with the information. 

“Ladies.” With a smarmy grin, Victor pulled open the back door for them, letting them slide out as he motioned toward the sidewalk. 

“What’s the big surprise?” Alex asked, her sense of impatience growing.

“You’ll see,” Victor murmured.

“So you don’t know either, huh?” Unless Sam had truly threatened him, Alex didn’t believe he would voluntarily keep his mouth shut.

All too soon, Alex and Maggie found themselves in one of the parks downtown, surrounded by throngs of people from all walks of life. A few reporters who looked as confused as Alex felt had gathered around the edges, their cameras and notebooks at the ready as they waited to see what this gathering would become. 

Sam quickly maneuvered them toward the middle of the crowd, unwilling to let her resources be caught on film and exposed before they had properly settled into their roles. “And now we wait,” she said.

As if it was choreographed—and, Alex realized, it likely was—a screen seemed to materialize from nowhere as speakers crackled to life around them, turning the park into a kind of amphitheater. “People of Metropolis!” a loud voice boomed through the speakers as an image flickered to life on the screen. “The Earth has been stolen from us. The enemy has come in the guise of heroes.” She watched as video footage of her sister and Superman racing through their respective cities—some of it new and unfamiliar, suggesting that they’d been busy while she was away. With every shot, the cameras focused on the destruction wrought in their wake, the broken windows and flames that licked up the sides of buildings, the cars smashed to pieces and even innocent civilians caught in the crossfire that she knew haunted Kara in ways the public would never know.

“They say they come in peace, to protect us from ourselves, but how long will it be before these gods decide to rule instead of serve?” A string of images flashed at them: Kara under the thrall of redK. Clark throwing a humanoid (though no less lethal) alien through the air. Astra and Non hovering high above the city. Non’s army storming Max Lord’s lab. 

“We are the antidote to their poison.” The crowd went wild as images of Cat Grant’s broadcast warning the city about the dangers Supergirl posed when she was under redK’s drug-induced hold played, then cheered once more as what looked like patriotic stock footage of troops marching in perfect order played beside footage of Kara and Clark weaving around one another and leaving chaos in their wake—the fact that they were saving the world quickly forgotten. 

“We are the scientists who will show them what humans are capable of. Those who have sided with the invaders will not be spared. You cannot stop us! We are everywhere! We are Cadmus!”

Before Alex could ask why they were announcing themselves already, she watched as the footage switched to what looked like a livestream, watched as her baby sister crumpled to the ground, powerless in the face of some would-be assassin whose veins glowed green, his mouth twisted in malice. She wondered how these people could cheer for someone like that to take up the mantle of humanity’s savior, but all around her that was all she saw. 

As people—hired or real, she couldn’t say—took to the stage, clutching microphones and spouting anti-alien propaganda that worked the crowd up into a frenzy. She listened as the blonde white women everyone seemed so ready to protect sobbed, recounting memories of their families and homes being destroyed, caught in the crossfire, speaking of lives being lost to the aliens that Superman lured to their once-safe city—the costs they were forced to bear while smiling and being grateful to the man the media called a hero. She listened as politicians and generals marched on stage, praising the “real” American heroes who championed the “real” American way by following rules and operating in the established order, by working their way up the ranks without the help of extraterrestrial powers and making their mark on the world to which they were born—the world they deserved to control. 

When she thought it could get no worse—no worse than the near mind control she saw seizing the hearts and minds of those around her—she watched as a contingent that had been worked up into a mob of sorts stormed down one of the side streets toward the alien safe haven that, according to Maggie’s frantic hissing, was apparently nearby. They clutched at weapons that looked far too advanced to have been purchased at a corner store, weapons Alex suspected had been doled out by the ones really in control—the ones who would disappear without a trace, leaving the mob to be dismissed as a few fanatics who took their message too far. After all, Cadmus was here to save the earth. How were they to predict that people would take their message to its (logical) extremes? 

Alex’s stomach churned as Sam, looking every bit the part of the lawyer and former Army Major, swept over to the press, intent on spinning this event exactly the way she wanted it while she kept the reporters with their cameras from following the swarm of action, from seeing the murder and scenes of horror that must surely be playing out down the street under Cadmus’ unofficial encouragement. Alex’s fingers twitched, desperately wanting to call J’onn, Kara, Clark, to demand backup before any more lives could be lost to this senseless violence.

Victor led Alex and Maggie away from the mob, whispering that it was better to let those less valuable—Cadmus’ foot soldiers—do the dirty work while they handled the rest, grinning as though this were all some game, like they should be proud of their leading role in “reclaiming the earth.”

As they waited by the car, waited for news about the destruction wrought under their implicit guidance, Maggie’s hand found Alex’s, giving her more comfort than she would have believed a single touch could bring. The warmth and strength of her grip grounded Alex, reminded her that all of this was for a reason, that she had to trust that the police and Superman would hear and heed the calls for help, that by not compromising their identities just yet, they would be in a position to prevent tragedies of a much larger scale, to finally bring to justice all those responsible—not just the easily manipulated crowds, but the true believers, the ones who wielded microphones and hid behind screens and money and influence. 

Looking down at his phone, Victor smiled. “It looks like today was even more of a success than we imagined. Sam needs to stay a little later than expected, but she’s asked me to make sure you lovely ladies get home safely and to invite you over for a belated celebration at her house tomorrow.”

“That works,” Maggie agreed. “We’re close enough to my place that we can just walk.” She suspected they could both use some time away from anyone’s watchful gaze, and getting into a car with any driver Victor trusted was distinctly unpalatable at the moment. 

“Are you sure? I can call one of our drivers.”

“No, no, it’s fine. We’ll probably stop for food,” Alex lied, knowing there was no way she’d be able to keep anything down at the moment. 

“At least let us send someone for you tomorrow?”

Figuring they wouldn’t be able to get out of this one, Maggie nodded.

“Excellent, I’ll send a driver to your place around 7.”

\---

By the time they made it back to Maggie’s apartment, Alex couldn’t hold onto the façade any longer, sinking to the ground as she bit back bitter tears she refused to let fall. Because dammit, this wasn’t how she responded. She wanted to scream and yell and hit something. But instead she found herself constrained, forced to wait as everyone around her did the hard work and she sat there and pretended to support evil. And having to see her sister lying on the ground, looking utterly lifeless while she sat in another city doing nothing but encouraging this kind of hatred—it felt like more than she could handle. 

Maggie sank to the ground next to Alex, handing over a bottle of some fancy electrolyte water that kept showing up in the groceries Kate and Bruce had delivered to her building—always coming with a surprise or two hidden among the organic vegetables and artisanal cheeses.

“Thanks,” Alex murmured, taking the bottle, grateful for the cold glass—the sensation grounding her, drawing her back into the moment. As she took a sip, though, she gagged, coughing and spluttering. “What the fuck is this, Sawyer?”

“I don’t know, fancy white people water, I think.” Scrunching her eyebrows together in confusion at Alex’s look of horror, Maggie grabbed the bottle from her and took a sip. “Ugh, that’s awful.”

“It tastes like ass.”

“That’s an insult to asses everywhere.”

And despite everything, Alex found herself laughing—laughing too loudly as the defensive walls she’d spent so many years building and solidifying seemed to crumble, Maggie knowing just what to say and do to make her feel safe enough to let the cracks split them wide open. As the barks of laughter joined with tears of frustration and anger that Alex hurriedly wiped away, she felt Maggie’s arm snake behind her back, pulling her in close as she held her until she stopped shaking. 

“You’re good,” Maggie whispered, her fingers gently stroking up and down Alex’s back even now that she seemed okay once more. “I’ve got you.”

“Thanks.” Alex’s voice was gruff as she attempted a kind of stoicism that she knew her earlier show of emotions had probably ruined. 

Figuring Alex could use a distraction more than empty words of comfort, Maggie held out a hand and helped her up. “How about you go find us some comfortable clothes from my drawers? I’ll get a snack and meet you in there.”

“Roger that.”

Half an hour later, they found themselves far more relaxed (if a little tipsy) curled up in Maggie’s bed in designer sweatpants, a plate of cheese and chocolate in between them and a bottle of ridiculously expensive red wine being handed back and forth and drunk straight from the bottle as though it were two-buck-chuck getting passed around a high school party, the expense of red solo cups one too large to bear after having bribed an older sibling to even get the wine in the first place. 

“Worst undercover moment—and nothing sad!” Maggie added, pointing her finger right up in Alex’s face as if to emphasize her point. The wine had messed up her depth perception just enough that she ended up booping Alex’s nose slightly, snorting at the face Alex pulled.

“I had to go on a date with Max Lord, and he fed me snail eggs.” Alex looked pained at the mere memory of it, while Maggie howled with laughter.

“No!”

“Yes! It was awful.”

“I can only imagine…”

“What about you?”

“Oh, um, I once spent two whole months in Florida pretending to be a heterosexual.”

“I cannot imagine that going well for you,” Alex laughed, offering the wine back to Maggie to help her wash away the memory.

“No…I’ve never been hit on by so many adult men with frosted tips. And, to add insult to injury, I was forced to look mildly pleased about it!”

Crinkling her nose in disgust, Alex shook her head. “At least Max was just a couple of times. I think I’d have killed him if we had to spend more than a week together.”

“I’ve broken my fair share of fingers and wrists—handsy marks, what are you gonna do, right?”

“I guess I should count myself lucky to have all my bones intact, then,” Alex laughed, thinking back to the night they first met at the fight club.

“Nah, you were like my evil knight in shining armor, sweeping me away from the creepy men who wanted to hold my hand during the fight or some shit.”

“Ah, well, that’s me—regular old Lancelot over here.”

“So does that make me your Guinevere?” Maggie teased. “Didn’t quite have a husband, but I did have an ex-husband I cheated on—or Maria did,” Maggie trailed off, looking up as she tried to think back to her college English classes.

“You’re a nerd.”

“You caught the reference, Danvers.” Before Maggie could gloat any further, she found a pillow being shoved into her face and the almost empty bottle of wine snatched away before any could spill.

As Maggie recovered, she propped herself up on the pillows and stretched her legs out. With a quick grab, she stole the wine back and took a long sip, growing contemplative. “Would you choose this life again? If you had the choice.”

“What—this mission or undercover work in general?”

Maggie had meant the latter, but she was morbidly curious to know whether Alex would opt to meet her knowing all that would happen—all that could still happen—so she shrugged. “Both.”

“I don’t know. I think so. I don’t go on these long missions so much anymore, which helps.”

“Got someone waiting for you back home?” Maggie asked, trying not to focus on the sinking feeling in her stomach.

“A sister,” Alex answered—it was the first time she’d spoken about her family.

Trying not to grin when that was the only person listed, Maggie nodded. “Does she at least know what you do?”

“Yeah, now she does. It was worse when she didn’t, when I had to act like I just wanted to ignore her for weeks, sometimes even months at a time.”

“It really is quite the relationship ruiner.”

“You have someone waiting back home? Or someone you hope is still waiting back home?” Alex asked, secretly hoping the answer was no. 

“No, no,” Maggie answered, shaking her head ruefully. “Tried it—never works out. They say I’m more committed to the job than I ever was to them, or I end up having to cheat on them for the good of the mission. It’s just…no. Just me.”

“Would you choose a different life for yourself if you could?”

“Sometimes I think I might have—now that I’m in my thirties, I can’t help but think that it might be nice to have someone to come home to at the end of the day. But, hey, I’d never have met you otherwise.” It was supposed to lighten the mode, but she suspected it sounded more sincere than she’d intended. 

“You have me now,” Alex whispered, dropping her head down to the pillows as she looked up at Maggie, wanting nothing more than to roll over and kiss her hard—hard enough to chase away the haunted look in her eyes that came from too many people walking out the door, leaving because they’d decided it wasn’t worth the effort, never lingering long enough to understand just how amazing the woman they let go really was. Because Alex knew if they had, they’d never have walked away.

“Right, yeah, I’ve got Cat for the time being,” Maggie sighed, forcing a smile, desperately trying to remind herself that all of this would end soon enough, that getting attached—even to someone who wasn’t evil—was never a good idea. 

Ignoring the way her thoughts railed against that, protesting against the idea that all they had was what Cat and Maria had, Alex nodded. “Right, right. Cat and Maria.” 

“Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay--I'm a little tied up with deadlines until the 28th, but I should be able to keep up with a chapter a week. Hopefully the length of this one makes up for the wait!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cadmus party at Sam's house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy I'm back! Thanks for your patience over the past week or two! I'm still a little sleep-deprived, so hopefully this chapter makes sense and isn't too bad. Fair warning: there's a slightly nsfw moment near the end.

“Keys?” Alex called out as they raced around Maggie’s apartment getting ready for a car to show up to whisk them over to the inner sanctum that was Sam’s apartment.

“Got ’em!” Maggie yelled, jangling them loudly to prove her point before tossing them into her purse. “Recording devices?”

“Check! You’ve just gotta stay close to me if you want them to catch your conversations too, alright?”

“Can’t imagine that being a problem,” Maggie murmured more to herself than anyone else. “Wallet?”

“What happened to Cat’s dating a sugar mama? Why do I need to bring my wallet?”

“ID, babe,” Maggie grumbled, trying not to read into the way Alex’s cheeks had grown slightly pink with the term of endearment. “Not like we should be spending money on anything tonight.”

“Right. Do you have all of our bugs?”

“Yep—brand new alloy that’s undetectable by pretty much any existing technology.”

“Aren’t I lucky your last ones weren’t so advanced,” Alex huffed. 

“You’ve got your black ops-level shit, I should get something.”

“Just be lucky I’ve got a couple of black ops cameras left that you didn’t destroy.”

“They were planted all over my apartment!”

“You got rid of them within minutes of my leaving! I let you enjoy the view for a couple of days,” Alex countered.

“Put on quite a show too.” 

Alex opened her mouth to respond but quickly clenched her jaw together again, remembering that she had essentially performed a strip tease in her living room before putting on a workout show for Maggie over the cameras.

“It’s not like I’m complaining…”

Alex forced a laugh, trying not to remember what else they had done in the living room…in the doorway…over the couch…on the bedroom floor. “So, uh, we’re all set?”

“Ready to go.” Maggie settled into the couch, figuring they may as well get comfortable while they waited for the driver Victor was sending for them.

Alex wandered over to the living room and dropped down on the cushion next to Maggie, propping her elbow against the back of the couch and leaning her head against her hand to face the woman. “So, how many times do you think you’ll get hit on tonight by Cadmus bigwigs who think you just showed up with your friend?”

“Better still, will we get the dreaded, ‘Oh! Are you two sisters?’”

“Ugh, we don’t even look alike.”

“And yet…god knows there must be a sisterly explanation for how close we seem. It couldn’t possibly be something that might make us unavailable to them.”

“But of course. Though maybe Sam would kill someone for us…”

“You know they’d never go near Tasha.”

“Maybe if they had a death wish.”

“Even then, I feel like death by Sam would be a particularly excruciating kind of torture.”

“Mm, way to make me feel better about sneaking around her home to plant bugs,” Alex teased, feeling the familiar swoop of adrenaline and nerves in her gut that always came before a particularly risky mission.

“You forget that you’ve got a partner watching your back this time.” Maggie resisted the temptation to add that Alex seemed to have already mastered the art of watching her partner’s backside at all times. 

Alex nodded, trying to let that fact bolster her confidence. As nervous as she had been about working with a partner, after the demonstration at the park, she’d found herself reconsidering all of her past hesitations. Being able to come home—to Maria’s apartment, she corrected herself—and have someone who genuinely understood the frustration that came from being there and doing nothing, who got the pent-up anger and knew better than to encourage it, knew how to diffuse the situation with bad jokes and red wine and reminders of the home life they had, the kind of world and the people for whom they were fighting—it was all far more valuable than Alex had ever thought was possible. She just hoped she was able to provide some of that comfort to Maggie too.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Maggie’s phone dinged. “Our driver is here. Ready, Cat?”

“As I’ll ever be.” She extended a hand to help Maggie off the couch, grinning as Maggie mumbled something about the lesbian resurrection of chivalry.

\---

Looking around the black towncar that had been sent for them, Alex tried to look impressed, not like she was searching for cameras and bugs. Of course, they’d stay in character regardless, but she was curious to know whether Sam’s protective paranoia would extend as far as a glorified taxi ride—though, she had to admit, this was nothing like the taxis she’d ever taken. Heated seats made of soft leather replaced the stained, torn pleather seats where stuffing had begun escaping. A bucket of ice with champagne and two empty flutes sat at the ready in the center console, rather than the half-empty water bottle full of a mysterious brown liquid that sloshed as it rolled around the backseat with every sharp turn. A tinted privacy shield that actually blocked all the noise from the front seat was rolled up between them once the driver greeted them rather than a plexiglass barrier with a small hole to exchange money that seemed to amplify, rather than mute, the sounds of the radio and phone calls and messages from the dispatch office. 

“Champagne, dear?” Maggie asked, motioning at the bottle between them.

“I’m fine—we should wait for Sam’s place to start the celebration.” 

Maggie smiled, glad that Alex was as invested in staying perfectly alert as she was—not that she had expected anything less from her. So instead she let herself be drawn into Alex’s arm, snuggling into her side as they watched the streets, both of them looking a bit bored even as they took in every detail of where they were headed. 

Eventually they pulled into a neighborhood just barely outside the city limits—the houses still lined up in a perfect grid even as the lawns widened and coveted driveways and garages emerged. The tinted barrier slowly rolled down just enough for the driver to announce that they were arriving. They soon found the backdoor being held open for them as the driver let them out and showed them to Sam’s house. “Have a nice evening,” the driver added before returning to his car and slowly pulling out of the spot and driving off into the night. 

Catching Maggie’s hand, Alex let their fingers tangle together as they rang the doorbell and waited for someone to come let them in. 

“Cat! Maria!” Victor greeted, pulling the door open wide and ushering them inside. “I’m so glad both of you lovely ladies could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Alex replied, reluctantly letting herself be drawn in for a kiss on both cheeks, then stepping back for Maggie to do the same, trying to stifle the laugh at the look of disgust on Maggie’s face as Victor lingered ever so slightly.

“Come in, we have plenty of drinks in the kitchen and people for you to meet.”

With a quick glance over at Alex, Maggie followed Victor to the kitchen, trying to get a feel for the size and layout of the house. It wasn’t huge, which helped, but there were definitely rooms upstairs and possibly in a basement that might be of interest to them. Getting there without being seen would be the tricky part, though she had enough faith in Alex to keep her doubts and worries at bay.

After getting them a glass of wine each, Victor led them around, reminding them of the names of folks they both vaguely remembered from the alien fight club—Alex was glad to have turned on her recorder before they left if only to get proof of the involvement of these high-level people with known Cadmus associates at a known Cadmus event, especially when Victor wasn’t exactly being discreet when it came to dropping details about their levels of involvement. 

By the fourth businessman, Alex had stopped trying to drink her wine, too close to snorting and having it burn the back of her nose and throat with every thinly veiled attempt at figuring out whether either Cat or Maria was single and available. Maggie just rolled her eyes while Victor snickered, taking glee in announcing that they were as taken as Tasha—not only in business together but in bed together as well. 

As the doorbell rang, Maggie was quick to shoo Victor away to play host while Sam schmoozed with the wealthiest and the most powerful, holding court around the dining room table.

“How do you want to play this?” Maggie whispered, her voice low and her breath hot against Alex’s ear, drawing an involuntary shudder from her. 

“I have a plan,” Alex managed, her voice cracking slightly.

“Care to share?”

“Step one is waiting. I mean, by all means, let’s schmooze and get names, but once everyone is getting more into the party mode instead of this sort of formal happy hour feel we’ve got going, I’m going to start playing bartender, alright?”

“Okay…” Maggie tried to figure out how that would help. Sure, people might be less suspicious if they got a little drunk, but it wasn’t quite the big plan she had in mind.

“Don’t give the drink I give you to anyone else, alright?” Alex hissed, seeing one of the men she thought she remembered being introduced to at the fight club coming their way.

“Okay,” Maggie shrugged, assuming Alex had a better plan, but now wasn’t the time to share.

“Cat Sullivan,” the man greeted her, “so good to see you again!”

“You too.” Alex racked her brains trying to remember his name despite having tried to wash away all memories of that night in a bottle of whiskey.

“I’ve heard from Sam that you’ve just acquired a very generous gift from Maria here.” With a smile at Maria, he extended his hand. “Dirk Armstrong, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting just yet.”

“Maria Sterling. Nice to meet you.” She tried to remember why the name sounded familiar—perhaps he’d been in National City for a time. 

“I have to say, when Sam first told me about the work you did, I didn’t quite believe her. Why would a patent-holding scientist work as a bartender? But then I looked for myself, and I’ll admit, I’m impressed. I dare say you’ll be quite the asset to us.”

“Well some of us didn’t need to go searching for proof—we could see Cat’s greatness from the moment we met her.” Maggie stepped forward slightly, straightening her spine as she narrowed her eyes and glared at Dirk. 

“Love does funny things,” he mused. “In any case, I’m here to make you an offer.”

“Oh really?” Alex arched an eyebrow.

“As generous as Maria’s gift is, I can offer you labs, whole teams of scientists at your disposal, and all the research Cadmus already has on file.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I think Maria and I make an excellent team.”

“Though we’d be more than happy to see Cadmus’ research, especially if Cat is expected to hand over her findings to you,” Maggie interjected.

“Ah, the businesswoman—now this is talk I can understand,” Dirk added with a small laugh. “Cat, if you’ll excuse us, I think we can work on a nice compromise to ensure that you’re as well-provided for as possible.”

Alex just nodded, watching as Maggie and Dirk made their way further into the living room. Figuring she should go try to catch as much incriminating evidence on record as possible, Alex headed back to the crowded kitchen intent on mingling with the worst of them.

\---

An hour or two into the party, everyone had finally begun to relax—suit jackets had been discarded and ties loosened enough to unbutton top buttons while a mood of familiarity and celebration had permeated the first floor, especially once Sam finally stood and gave a warm welcome and thank you to everyone who had made the demonstration possible. She said nothing of the attack on the alien bar, though Alex listened as others brought it up in quiet conversations, grousing about Superman’s timely intervention that had prevented it from being the kind of bloodbath they’d so clearly desired. 

Letting her anger turn into motivation, Alex headed over to the kitchen and gathered a few bottles of hard liquor and the shot glasses that had been stacked beside them without yet being used. Lining them up, Alex went down the line, filling them quickly and efficiently before calling out: “I propose a toast! Come get a drink, I think this requires a proper celebration.” 

The small crowd shuffled into the kitchen, following Victor’s lead in grinning and grabbing one of the shot glasses. With the efficiency reserved for bartenders alone, Alex slung the shots down the length of the kitchen counter, making sure that everyone was well supplied and that Maggie had gotten her water shot. Hopping up on the stool Victor had pushed her way looking all too enthusiastic about the prospect of turning this get-together into a proper party, Alex held her own shot glass high in the air and yelled out: “To taking back the earth!”

A chorus of hearty cheers met her toast, and everyone tossed back their shots. Of course, with that kind of mood, others were quick to want to make toasts of their own, and Alex settled in behind the makeshift bar, prepping shots to keep pace with the stream of toasts being offered. “To the real heroes!” “To Cadmus!” “To humans!” 

Alex watched happily as Maggie understood the plan, acting increasingly intoxicated along with the rest of the guests as she downed each successive “shot.” As the guests stopped giving toasts, contenting themselves with slurred speeches and declarations about all the ways that humans could reclaim the earth for humans, Alex slipped away from the bar, grabbing Maggie’s hand and leading her through the living room toward the stairs.

As another couple came over to try to make conversation, Alex grabbed Maggie’s face and kissed her hard, ignoring the way her stomach swooped and heat seemed to race through her veins at the contact she’d been craving since laughing in bed with Maggie the night before. The low whine from Maggie seemed to do the trick as the other couple quickly excused themselves, leaving the women alone.

“Upstairs,” Alex demanded, slightly breathless, her voice rough and thick with desire that she hoped she could mask as desperation to get their plan in motion. 

Biting her lower lip and ignoring the insistent pulse between her legs, Maggie grabbed Alex’s hand, quietly slipping up the stairs, figuring they could pull it off as looking for a place to hook up, which, she realized with a pang of longing, was probably Alex’s plan all along—the only reason for the passionate kiss. 

Once upstairs, they surveyed the area, quickly making their way into the home office. Skirting around the computer lest it have a camera of its own trained on the room, Alex slid one of the two remaining undetectable bugs out of her bag—she’d already gotten one set up in the living room while winding around the crowds with a tray of shots—and made quick work of setting it up in the corner closest to the desk before pulling Maggie down the hallway to the master bedroom.

“Is this creepy?” Maggie whispered, suddenly feeling a pang of conscience at the memory of just how betrayed she’d felt waking up the next morning to a house full of bugs and cameras.

“Remember the alien bar?”

“Right, right.”

“And it’s not a camera, just a recorder.”

Maggie nodded, quickly snatching it for herself and setting it up in the plant on the bedside table. When she turned around, though, Alex was no longer behind her. Looking around frantically, she found Alex climbing halfway out the window.

“What are you doing?” Maggie hissed.

“One second.”

Maggie waited a full twenty seconds before hissing back once more. “Get your ass back in here before you fall.” When Alex ignored her, Maggie made her way over to the window, intent on holding Alex from the inside at least. As she watched, she realized Alex was setting up a camera that would record any movement into and out of the house, which was, she could admit, rather brilliant. Keeping the camera outside the house—and as far from the window as she was reaching—would help ensure it stayed up longer, even if the bugs were somehow found.

As she waited for Alex to finish, Maggie heard the sound of footfalls on the stairs. “Get in now!” Maggie hissed.

“Just a second.”

“No, right the fuck now! Someone is coming!”

With a last grunt of effort, Alex ducked under the window and pulled herself in, a self-satisfied smirk on her face that suggested she’d been successful in her mission. Maggie grumbled about unnecessary risks as she shut and locked the window, wiping it clean with her sleeve. 

“Who’s up here?” came Victor’s voice, echoing down the hallway.

Doing the only thing she could think of that might excuse being up in Sam’s bedroom—not that there was actually any excuse, though they could blame being drunk and horny for making them forget—Maggie kissed Alex, pushing her up against the wall and letting her tongue flick across Alex’s lower lip, hoping she was okay with acting sloppy drunk. 

Realizing Maggie’s plan and hearing Victor right outside the door, Alex popped a button on her own jeans and guided Maggie’s hand there as she threw a leg around Maggie’s waist.

Maggie bit back every impulse that had her on the edge of throwing Alex into the bed—propriety be damned—and having her way with her for as long as it took for this god-awful party to end. Instead, she just pushed past Alex’s boyshorts and refused to read into the fact that the woman was wet and waiting, refused to let her mind drift to the possibility that Alex might have enjoyed their kiss on the stairs as much as she had, that Alex might be missing the way they once were as Cat and Maria too. 

“Well, well, well, ladies,” Victor drawled, his words slurring together slightly as he clung to the doorframe. “If you don’t want Sam and Tasha to join you or Sam to kill you, I suggest you move to the guest bathroom or back to one of your apartments like civilized adults.”

Making a show of looking slightly dazed at being caught, Maggie pulled her hand back and grabbed Alex’s, dragging her toward the stairs as they both stumbled slightly on the way, giggling like drunk teenagers who couldn’t quite find it within themselves to care about being caught except for the interruption it had caused.

“You should know Dirk was looking for you,” Victor added in a sing-song voice.

“Well tell him my business partner and I are busy,” Maggie shot back. “And he can have her for himself over my dead fucking body.”

With that, Alex decided she really needed Maggie’s mouth on hers immediately, ignoring Victor’s wolf whistle as she dragged Maggie close and, with a small nod from Maggie, kissed her hard, tangling her fingers in Maggie’s hair the way she’d wanted to so often these past few days. 

“The party’s winding down, so I’ll call your car.” Victor pulled out his phone and sent a text that made enough sense to summon the driver before heading back downstairs.

“Wow,” Maggie sighed, finally pulling apart to catch her breath. “Guess you really hated Dirk, huh?” she laughed.

“Uh, yeah.” With a forced smile, she led them back down the stairs, ignoring Victor’s knowing look as they slipped into the dwindling crowd gathering their coats and purses to head home. 

Catching sight of Sam, Alex and Maggie walked over to her and thanked her for the hospitality.

“Well, I suppose I have Cat to thank for the really turning it into a party.” Alex gulped, wondering if that had been exactly the wrong thing to do. “It really opened the checkbooks—should be good for phase 2.” Alex forced a smile onto her face, struggling between relief at being praised and guilt over knowing that she’d drawn even more money into Cadmus’ coffers. 

“That’s my girl,” Maggie said, throwing an arm around Alex’s shoulders. “Always knows just what to do.”

“Speaking of, I should go and find Tasha. Have a safe trip home. We’ll be in touch soon enough.”

Alex and Maggie nodded, tight smiles on their lips as they tried not to think about what was coming next.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst and feelings and smut, oh my!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note this is NSFW (and catch me resisting the temptation to make a Halloween joke or a pun about our ladies getting lucky despite it being chapter 13)

After a round of goodbyes with hugs and cheek kisses that seemed to linger much too long, Alex guided Maggie to the waiting car, her jacket draped over Maggie’s shoulders as if to remind every man who’d dared to look too long that she was taken—or at least Maria was. 

“Have a good night, lovebirds!” Victor yelled from the doorway, stumbling slightly as he tripped on the doorframe before righting himself with a flourish. 

Fueled with adrenaline from the near miss with Victor in Sam’s bedroom and arousal from having Maggie so close to where she needed her and just a twinge of jealousy over all the men who thought they could reach for her, Alex wanted nothing more than to spend the ride back to the apartment with her mouth on Maggie’s lips, her neck, her collarbones, nipping and sucking at every inch of available skin. 

“Where shall I take you two tonight?” the driver asked, stepping out of the car to let them into the backseat.

Before Alex could reply, Maggie rattled off her own address, cutting off any attempt from Alex to provide a second address with a small kiss that left Alex beyond dazed. With a knowing smile, the driver nodded and shut the door, quickly sliding up the privacy glass before pulling away from the curb. 

Figuring they had already set a precedent and knowing it would be good if their stories lined up if Victor thought to check in with the driver, Maggie ignored the voice inside her head yelling that those were weak excuses and slipped a hand into Alex’s hair, drawing a full-body shudder from her. “You good?” Maggie murmured, pausing a few inches away from Alex even as her gaze flickered to her lips.

“Good,” Alex managed, barely containing a sigh of relief when Maggie’s lips found hers once more—the kiss needy and desperate as they tried to funnel all the things they couldn’t say aloud into it. Maggie’s teeth nipped at Alex’s lower lip as Alex’s hand skirted under the hem of her shirt, her fingers hot against Maggie’s skin, leaving a trail of fire in their wake that had Maggie surging forward, ready to throw propriety and safety out the window and swing a leg over Alex’s lap. Instead she settled for arching her back into the touch and groping at Alex’s chest through her shirt, ignoring just how desperate she likely looked. 

A light rapping at the window finally drew Maggie’s attention away from Alex long enough to notice that the car had stopped in front of her building and the driver stood at the door, back to the car to give them the privacy that she could admit they probably didn’t deserve. Hoping she didn’t look as disheveled as she felt, Maggie opened the car door and slid out, holding out a hand to help Alex up as well. With a mumbled thank you and averted eyes, they bid the driver goodnight and made their way into the building.

When they had finally gotten up to Maggie’s apartment, they split up, doing a quick sweep of the apartment for bugs, relieved to find the place clean. 

“Alright, well, I’m gonna head out,” Alex said, motioning for the door.

“But—what if they’re watching?” Maggie didn’t have a particularly solid excuse for why she needed Alex to stay behind, but after that ride home she really didn’t want to have to see her go already.

“The driver’s gone—pulled away as soon as we got inside. Plus, they were pretty much all wasted by the time we left,” Alex offered with a shrug. 

“Did you not want to check in on the bugs we planted? I thought you might want to make sure that they’re all working.” It was a last ditch effort, and Maggie knew it, but she hoped Alex wouldn’t see through it. 

Alex chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to find a tactful way to decline, to insist that they should really spend the night in their own beds, without snapping at Maggie. Because it wasn’t Maggie’s fault that she was gorgeous and perfect, that the trace of her lips and hands all over Alex’s body still lingered, that Alex wanted nothing less than to curl up on opposite sides of a bed they’d once shared and act like it meant nothing when they woke up curled together. And Maggie certainly didn’t need to find out that Alex was more turned on than she had been in what felt like her entire life and needed to get herself off before she could possibly think about even trying to sleep. 

“If you’re tired, we don’t have to review the tapes tonight. We could just sleep. Or I’ve got snacks?” Maggie knew she sounded a little clingy but she couldn’t find it within herself to care if it meant keeping Alex in her apartment, even if they couldn’t be doing everything she wanted—the kinds of things she couldn’t help picturing during the ride home. 

Taking a deep breath and gritting her teeth together, Alex forced a smile as she thought about how to calm down enough to deal with yet another night spent curled around the woman whose touch she couldn’t seem to forget. Perhaps an ice cold shower. Maybe just throw some actual ice cubes all over herself. She didn’t think it would help that much, but it might be a start. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Maggie asked, feeling Alex’s cheeks for a fever and standing far too close to help Alex regain her cool. 

“Fine!” Alex nearly jumped back at the feeling of Maggie’s fingers on her face. 

“Are you sure? If you’re uncomfortable, I mean, I never meant to make you feel like you had to stay here. I’m sure it’s been plenty of time if you want to go…” She swallowed back her own feelings of disappointment, knowing that she would never forgive herself if she found out that Alex was even slightly unsure about how they were handling the mission. 

“It’s not that,” Alex insisted, watching Maggie’s features morph into an expression of concern.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s clearly something. I should know if it could affect our job.”

“It won’t affect our job.”

“It already is,” Maggie huffed, getting annoyed at how obvious it was that Alex wasn’t telling her something—something that had to be important if Alex’s increasing annoyance and shiftiness was any indication. 

“Seriously, just drop it.”

“Alex…”

“I want to fuck, okay!” Alex finally snapped. Blushing a rather bright shade of red at her boldness, Alex spun on her heels and strode toward the door, stopping only when she felt Maggie’s hand curling around her upper arm.

“What—?” Alex began, but before she could say anything more, Maggie’s mouth was on hers, and she let herself be pushed up against the door as Maggie’s hands slipped under her shirt, settling on her lower back and holding her close. 

For a moment, Alex lost herself in it, let herself believe that she was getting everything she’d wanted, let herself whimper loudly at the feeling of Maggie’s tongue flicking across her lower lip, at the way her heart seemed to swell when Maggie moved one of her hands up to cup the back of her head to keep her from hitting it against the door. But as Maggie slotted a thigh between hers, pushing up against her in a way that had her seeing stars and ready to come undone far too quickly, she pushed her back and away.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry! Is that not—I didn’t—I should have asked, I’m so sorry,” Maggie stammered, backing away and looking horrified.

“No! No, no,” Alex rushed to assure her, finding herself able to focus long enough to make sure Maggie knew she hadn’t done anything she didn’t want; the only problem was just how much Alex did want all of it. “I just—look, I’m an adult, okay? I’m a professional, and the job is always going to come first.”

“Um, okay?” Maggie looked confused but let herself be led toward the couch, though Alex remained standing, pacing back and forth in front of her and refusing to make eye contact.

“When you were Maria, you were evil, you know?”

“Uh, yeah—Maria is Cadmus. So is Cat, though.”

“No, I know. But I thought I was undercover dating someone evil. And you seemed—well, you seemed different, but it was really easy to dismiss that as just my getting swept up because you were pretty and gay. But now—well, now you’re not evil.”

“To be clear, I never was evil—just playing someone who is.”

“Right, yeah, that’s what I meant.”

“Sorry, I’ll stop.”

“But then suddenly you were Maggie Sawyer, not Maria Sterling. You were one of the good guys. But you were still the hot woman naked in my bed.”

With a devilish grin, Maggie added, “Technically we were naked on the floor in front of your bed.”

“What happened to stopping?”

Looking slightly chagrined, Maggie nodded. “Understood.”

“I just—well, I lost my defenses when you stopped being Maria.”

“Yeah, I know it couldn’t have been easy to have your identity made—I felt it too.”

“But it was more than that, Maggie.” Maggie ignored the way her stomach swooped at hearing her name roll off of Alex’s tongue. “At first I thought it was just that, but I can’t keep lying to myself. I, well, I like you. And I know that for the mission we’re going to act like a couple, and I’m not asking you to stop doing that, just like I would never force you to do more than what’s required for the mission. And that’s why I can’t have us doing…whatever it is we were about to do. I know it would mean something different for you—it would be a way of living as Cat and Maria for a little longer, of helping out a friend or something, sympathizing with someone else stuck undercover, stuck in a life where we don’t get to be carefree and go out to find girlfriends or hook ups or even friends. But, the thing is, it would mean more to me, so I’m just gonna head out.”

“Alex, wait! Please,” Maggie called out, extending a hand for Alex to come join her on the couch. Her heart hammered in her chest. Of all the ways she’d imagined telling Alex that she thought she might be falling for her, this situation never came up. 

“I don’t want your pity, Sawyer.” Alex’s voice was gruff, her arms crossed defensively across her chest.

“It’s not pity if I feel the same way, right?”

“What?”

“Alex, I didn’t just kiss you in the car because I wanted the driver to see us. I didn’t kiss you just now because I felt bad. Sure, I assumed you just wanted to get laid and that it didn’t mean anything more to you, but I had resigned myself to that reality; I never wanted it.”

“Don’t just say this because you think I want to hear it.” Alex fought off the hope that swelled in her chest, refusing to believe it until she had some kind of proof. 

“Alex, I was falling for you back when you were Cat the bartender—I was falling for you knowing it could only end in tragedy. And now—now, this hope—it’s almost worse. But if you’re feeling like this too… I just, I know it’s not a good idea. I know we’re undercover. I know I should tell you no. But I can’t find a single ounce of motivation to keep pulling myself back from you.”

And with a magnetism that felt a lot like fate, like an inexorable, inevitable pull they’d tried to ignore for far too long, they crashed back into one another—throwing themselves headlong into the unknown, hoping they’d come out on the other side unscathed but knowing it would be worth it even if they didn’t. 

As they blindly stumbled their way down the hallway to Maggie’s room, they left a trail of clothing in their wake. Maggie’s shirt hit the ground first, followed closely by Alex’s and her bra. By the time they’d made it to the bed, there were no layers left between them and, despite how passionate and desperate Alex was, she found herself slowing, stepping back to drink in the sight in front of her. 

“You’re beautiful,” Alex whispered, her voice low and reverent.

With a shrug, Maggie brushed off the compliment. “You’ve already seen everything.”

Alex shook her head, grabbing one of Maggie’s hands with her own. “It’s different this time.”

And Maggie wanted to protest, to deflect the attention that felt too much like love, like something she knew better than to think she deserved, but she couldn’t deny that it did feel different. Standing here with Alex, holding Alex, kissing Alex, getting to be Maggie, not Maria—nothing else could possibly compare. “Yeah,” she finally admitted, her voice soft as she pulled Alex in closer. “Yeah, it really is.”

Then Alex’s lips were back on hers, and she lost the ability to think rationally as all of her fears of inferiority and not deserving this, not deserving Alex, not deserving care and affection and love were replaced with want—pure and simple. As they crashed back onto the bed, Alex’s leg fell between hers and she felt wet heat sliding against her own thigh. She dropped her hands to Alex’s ass, urging her on as her lips nipped and sucked at Alex’s neck.

Alex tried to wait, to stall her hips even as Maggie rutted her thigh against her, even as Maggie’s strong fingers drove her forward, even as Maggie’s mouth felt like it was leaving a trail of fire in its wake. But then Maggie’s voice—thick with desire—was by her ear, and all it took was a muttered, “Fuck, you’re perfect,” for Alex’s breath to hitch and her hips to stutter as she came, finally collapsing into Maggie and letting herself be held, letting herself be cradled into Maggie’s chest, feeling perfectly safe and cared for and protected for the first time in a long time. 

“On your back,” Maggie rasped when Alex pulled herself up, moving to kneel between Maggie’s legs. “I’m not quite done with you yet.” 

Alex felt a pang of guilt, like there was something wrong with asking for more before she’d done a thing, but she let herself be guided back, let herself give in to her desire. As Maggie’s tongue found her wet and waiting, she dropped her head down to the pillows, giving herself over to Maggie and letting herself be vulnerable in a way that she never could have been with Maria. No matter how nice their first night together had been, there had always been a voice in the back of her head reminding her not to fall for the woman, not to be tricked into turning her back. She’d slipped out of her sleepy embrace to go plant bugs and cameras, nearly choking on the feelings of guilt that bubbled up when she awoke to Maria’s gentle caresses. But now—now she could relax, could let herself be held and taken and claimed without hesitation or guilt. And as Maggie’s tongue dipped between her folds and darted up and around her clit, pushing her higher and higher, she let the last of her defenses fall down, arching her back as she came with Maggie’s name on her lips.

Maggie whimpered through Alex’s orgasm, fighting back her own as everything that was Alex filled her senses and threatened to overwhelm her. And as much as she wanted to stay between Alex’s legs and never leave, keep bringing her to the edge and guiding her over until she was spent, she let herself be dragged up, let Alex taste herself on Maggie’s lips and tongue, let herself be rolled onto her back as Alex grinned down at her. 

“What do you want?”

“Everything,” Maggie answered honestly, not pausing to think about just how that might sound.

With a teasing smile, Alex kissed the corner of Maggie’s mouth. “Now, I could be sweet, and tell you that I want it too, that I want to give you everything you could ever want. Or…” she trailed off, lowering her lips to Maggie’s ear. “I could tell you every single dirty thing I’ve ever though about doing to you.”

Maggie couldn’t quite help the way her hips bucked up at that. 

“But I think I’ll just be sweet and ask you what it is you want right now.”

Burying her head in her hands Maggie groaned, suspecting that Alex might just be the death of her yet. “I suppose I can’t ask for that list of everything you want to do to me?”

“I think I might need a shot of courage to actually tell you everything,” Alex hedged. “So why don’t I leave it at this: I want to taste you.”

“Please,” Maggie whimpered, not caring that it was against her rules to beg and plead. She tried not to dwell on what it meant that Alex could bring down all of her walls with a shy smile and a bite of her lip, and as she felt Alex’s lips and teeth sucking and nipping at her inner thighs, she decided she didn’t really care. All she cared about was feeling more—more of Alex, more of this. By the time she was coming for what had to have been the third time—Alex tongue hot on her clit, two fingers curling and thrusting inside of her—she was ready to let this woman—this perfect woman who had come crashing into her life once as a dashing mark in a tux, then again as a growling federal agent in only handcuffs—have every single part of her she’d been too scared to let the world see. 

“How was that? Did I get close to that ‘everything’ that you wanted?” Alex asked, pressing a trail of teasing, wet kisses up her chest and across her collarbones. 

“You were perfect—everything I could want.” Maggie flipped over and pulled Alex in close to her chest, letting their legs tangle together. 

The next morning when they woke up—still curled together, Alex’s head on Maggie’s chest, and Maggie’s arm wrapped protectively around Alex’s shoulders—Alex didn’t feel the familiar pang of want and guilt and anticipatory loss that had plagued her over the past few weeks. Instead, she felt something new, some warm, burgeoning sense of hope curling through her. 

“Morning,” Alex whispered, pressing a kiss to Maggie’s temple.

“Was last night a dream?” Maggie asked, keeping her eyes screwed shut, not yet ready to wake up and find a cold reality intruding on a dream that had become all too common over these past few nights.

Though Alex could have asked to be sure that they were talking about the same thing, she suspected she knew better than anyone else ever could. “No, I’m right here with you.”

Blinking open her eyes, Maggie looked at Alex, a smile slowly spreading across her face at the sight of Alex’s tousled hair haloed in the sunshine streaming in through the window, of the expanses of soft skin on full display where the sheets had slipped down around them. “Perfect.”


	14. Chapter 14

While Maggie finished cooking French toast, Alex pulled up the feeds from the camera and bugs they’d planted around Sam’s home the night before—and, god, had it really only been a night? She felt like everything had changed, only this time for the better. 

“How’s the security in here?” Alex called out to Maggie, figuring she shouldn’t make any assumptions.

“Top of the line. If you want to make a call or something, just turn on the scrambler and the white noise machines to be sure.”

“Ah yes, how could I forget the ways you ruined so many of my recordings.” Alex stretched and wandered over to where Maggie was motioning, clicking on the two devices.

With a grin, Maggie pecked Alex on the cheek as she passed, placing two plates of food on the table and settling into the chair next to where Alex had been sitting. “Couldn’t have you getting in on all of my dirty little secrets that easily.”

“I feel like now you owe me a description. What are those dirty little things I might have found out about a one Ms. Maria Sterling?” Alex flirted.

“Well, for starters, that MBA? Totally fake.”

“Gasp!” Alex exclaimed, covering her mouth in fake shock.

“Gets even worse. She’s totally misappropriating Sterling&Bosch company funds.”

“Damn, all sorts of white collar crime…”

“Oh, that’s just the professional stuff…should’ve seen what she was getting up to with this bartender.”

“I’m sure it was all very appropriate…they definitely waited the requisite number of dates to do anything.”

“Didn’t mean Maria wasn’t calling out her name for a few weeks before they ended up here together, though,” Maggie added with a wink, laughing as Alex’s flushed a faint pink.

“Well, I, uh, really?”

Maggie shrugged, looking far too innocent. “A lady has to have some secrets—air of mystery and all that.”

Nodding, Alex furrowed her eyebrows and clinked her fork uselessly against her plate about two inches away from the French toast she was aiming for.

“Something on your mind, Danvers?”

“What? No. Nope, definitely not.”

“Really? Not the thought of me, all alone, in that great big bed…” Maggie dropped her voice even lower as she leaned in and whispered in Alex’s ear, delighting in the way Alex choked slightly and pulled away, a scarlet blush creeping up her chest. With a grin on her face, Maggie switched her tone of voice entirely, figuring Alex could use an out if they wanted to get any work done. “So, wanna listen to those tapes?” 

“I—uh, yeah. Let me just check in with work.”

“Ah, yeah, gotta make sure the big man doesn’t think us vigilante types have let you go off grid.”

Alex rolled her eyes, refusing to give Maggie the satisfaction of admitting that J’onn would likely suspect exactly that. She dialed Mom.

“Good morning, Catharine,” came the usual agent’s voice. Alex wondered if she ever got to go home and sleep.

“Morning, mom. How’s it going?”

“I’m okay, a little lonely these days. You haven’t called much. How was your little party last night?”

“I told you, it was more than just a party. I got to meet some important people—think I might end up going back into science…just like you always wanted,” she added as an aside that reminded her just a little too much of her phone calls with Eliza back in the day.

“Oh really? Are you going back to school too, dear?”

“No, no. I mean, some dude offered to pay for all of it, but I’m happy just hanging out in my lab. Plenty of really generous people here who don’t seem to care about whether or not I have a degree on my wall…”

“That’s fine and well, but you could have so much more job security if you would just go back and finish your degree.”

“Mom, can we not? I really just—that wasn’t why I was calling.”

“Oh, so you only call when you need something?” Alex wondered if the agent enjoyed this role, wondered if she was a mom herself, or maybe she’d had a mom like this. 

“No, I’m just doing a little cleaning, going through my stuff, trying to tie up some loose ends.”

“Anything of importance?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m just getting started. But I realized I could use some more of that citrus tea.” She gagged at the thought of voluntarily drinking any of it.

“I can pick some up for you—get a nice little care package together in time for Thanksgiving. Unless—perhaps you’ll be home for the holidays this year?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I see.”

Alex cringed at the disappointment that sounded all too familiar, bringing back memory after memory of all the times she’d been gone for the important moments, unable to tell Kara or her mother where she was or why she had to seem so cold and unfeeling as she stood them up for yet another family dinner. “I’ll try to get home for New Years, okay?”

“Okay. Well, I guess I’ll just send this down to you. I’ll see if I can find you some warm sweaters for the winter weather. I know how you are, always zipping about town on that bike of yours, no regard for the weather or traffic. It’ll make me feel better to know you at least have on a pair of gloves.”

“Thanks,” Alex mumbled, cursing internally at the idea of having to get back out there on her bike knowing the forecast for the following week called for highs in the 40s. Highs! In National City they barely hit the 50s as daily lows. 

“Of course. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

“Well isn’t that touching,” Maggie teased.

“Shut up, it’s a decent system.”

“Know what’s an even better system?”

“What?”

“Decent security.”

“Ugh, it’s just like you vigilante types with all your tech assuming the old way of doing things isn’t as good.”

“Oh I’m sorry, I forgot about how code-breaking was a prerequisite for taking down bad guys.”

“Never bad to have extra skills.”

“I thought I proved to you last night just how many skills I really have.”

“’Cause you learned them from Cat,” Alex teased. 

“Ah yes, that’s true. So inexperienced. Knew nothing.”

“I’ve been told I’m an excellent teacher.”

“Maybe when we’re done with these tapes we go back into the bedroom and you teach me even more?”

“If that’s what’s waiting for me when we finish…” Alex pressed play, more than ready to get her reward.

Maggie leaned over and hit pause, offering an explanation: “I’m gonna stream the video back to the home office too—let them run facial recognition so we can have documented proof to put some of these guys away.”

“If they’re getting the files now, the DEO should get them too,” Alex pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m sure Kate will make sure her contacts at NCPD include the DEO.”

“Please, you know how much feds and local cops hate each other. We’ll never see a single one of them again. Need I remind you that Cadmus is an international terrorist group and therefore falls under the purview of federal organizations?”

“You pulling rank on me, Danvers?”

“Only if you won’t listen to reason, Sawyer.”

Maggie glared across the table at Alex, meeting her hard gaze head on. After a few moments she couldn’t help but speak up. “Okay, pause, I don’t love losing claims to my evidence or whatever, but damn, you keep looking at me like that and I might just let you claim the whole fucking city as your jurisdiction.”

“Oh really? Well in that case…” Alex quirked an eyebrow and leaned over towards Maggie’s chair, bracketing Maggie with her arms. “Your jurisdiction ends where I say it does.” Alex voice was a low growl and Maggie felt her whole body shudder in response. Before she could drop to her knees and show Alex exactly what she could do for her, her phone vibrated—the sound of the vibrations on the hard wood of the table shocking her to her senses more effectively than a bucket of ice water.

“Oh, uh, right—Kate. I told her I’d start streaming soon.”

“I guess we’ll have to return to this later…”

“Yep, mhmm, definitely,” Maggie agreed, knowing she sounded a little overeager but too turned on to care. She sent a quick text back telling Kate that all resources would need to be shared with the DEO, ignoring the string of obscenities she got in return, then hit play, speeding it up just enough to make sure they’d get through it in a reasonable amount of time. They watched as the first few partygoers stumbled out, and Alex cursed under her breath at the few who pulled themselves into driver’s seats despite barely being able to remain vertical for the walk over. Maggie’s phone buzzed a few times with names of some of the people Kate recognized by face alone, and Maggie sent back any information she could remember about their exact levels of involvement. 

“Oh,” Maggie sighed, nodding her head at one of the messages.

“What is it?”

“Dirk—the guy you thought looked familiar?”

“Yeah?”

“His face was splashed all over the news a year or two ago. He’s the jackass that leaked all of Cat Grant’s emails, trying to oust her from her own company. Guess he was able to bribe his way out of jail time.”

“Oh shit, well, I’m sure Cat would be more than happy to expose him a second time.”

Maggie nodded, looking up just in time to catch sight of them stumbling toward the town car at 2x speed and kissing briefly before pulling one another into the backseat. Maggie’s cheeks colored ever so slightly at the next text.

“What is it?” Alex asked, craning her neck over to try to see Maggie’s phone screen.

“Nothing!”

“What? I want to know,” Alex whined, giving Maggie her best pout.

After a few moments of valiant resistance, Maggie gave in, succumbing to the pout and pushing her phone across the table to Alex to read the message: “Damn. The DEO might suck, but at least you found yourself a hot undercover agent.”

“She is sharing all this information with J’onn, right?”

“Yes, yes. She’s not happy about it, but I guess they had some sort of briefing. She said, and I’ll quote, ‘He’s less detestable than most.’” 

“High praise there…”

“Compared to what I heard about you guys the day after our little exposé—yeah, it’s freakin’ crazy high praise.”

Eventually they made their way over to the audio recordings, deciding to send the living room tapes to Kate to have the Kane Agencies techs parse out all the different conversations before they attempted to listen to them, while Alex took the office and Maggie took the bedroom. They settled in side-by-side on the couch, both wearing a set of headphones with notepads in hand.

Maggie had the pleasure of hearing their own confrontation with Victor, but then her tape went quiet for a while. After a few minutes of sped-up audio, she called out to Alex. “You got anything?”

“Just a bit of background noise. You?”

“Nope.” Though a few minutes later, Maggie pulled a face that had Alex tugging off her headphones.

“What’s wrong? Were we found out? Are they planning something?”

“No, no.” Maggie shook her head, crinkling her nose. “Just, uh, Sam and Tasha ended their night like we ended ours…wasn’t really something I needed to hear.”

“Oh.” Alex grimaced, then grinned, realizing she wouldn’t have to deal with it. “Well, better listen closely to make sure they don’t say any real words in the midst…”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Alex cheerily declared.

Maggie rolled her eyes, biting at her tongue to keep any other sentiments at bay. Now wasn’t the time for dramatic declarations of feelings. 

\---

“So, all I got was sex and an alarm this morning,” Maggie declared, finally pulling out her headphones, watching as Alex scribbled on her notepad. After a few more minutes, Alex pulled hers off as well, setting them down on the coffee table by the couch. “I take it you had better luck?”

“I did,” Alex confirmed, smiling broadly. “Sam’s meeting with Lillian this week.”

“Lillian Luthor?”

“She didn’t say, but I can’t imagine it being anyone else.”

“When’s the meeting?”

“Thursday evening. I got the location, but when I looked it up, it just seems to be some parking lot in one of the shittier neighborhoods in town.”

“Hmm…got any traffic cams that look in on it?”

Alex shrugged. “I’ve got a tech whiz at the DEO who could probably answer that question in just a few seconds.”

“Then ask him.”

“You swear the calls in here are safe?”

“Your tech genius friend couldn’t get on my calls, right?”

“Right,” Alex conceded, finally giving in and dialing her mom once again.

“Twice in one day—to what do I owe the honor?”

“Line is safe for now. Thursday night, 9pm, in the parking lot at 29th and S—meeting between Sam and Lillian. Can you let me know if there are cameras there we could pull feeds from?”

“I’ll get a secure message to you once we know.”

“Thanks.”

“So anything?” Maggie asked once Alex hung up.

“Find out soon.” A few minutes later, Alex’s phone chimed. “Nothing in a two block radius.”

“So…fancy a field trip?”

\---

After Alex’s shift at the bar the next night, she found herself in the passenger’s seat of Maggie’s car being driven to the outskirts of town with a couple of cameras in the backseat. She played lookout as Maggie darted into an alleyway across the street, setting up one that would capture the only entrance into the lot. It would be at a distance, but she hoped the video quality was as good as their tech team promised.

“I want to scout the lot itself—see if there’s somewhere we might be able to plant another camera, maybe some spot for us to hide out,” Maggie explained as she turned off the street. 

“Too risky. We can’t be found here during their meeting. If I know anything about Lillian, it’s that she’ll come armed with more weapons that you ever thought possible.”

“Fine, fine,” Maggie conceded. “Still—I want to check for possible camera spots.”

“Alright,” Alex gave in staring out the window as they did a lap around the lot. 

“Damn,” Maggie cursed under her breath. There were no telephone poles or signs or anything to which she could attach a camera. The only side of the lot bordered by a building had a barbed-wire fence and no windows or ledges on which they could hook the damn thing. “I guess we’ll have to hope that the one we were able to plant does its job.”

Alex nodded, turning around as the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. “Yeah, um, do you feel like—maybe I’m being paranoid, but I sort of feel like we’re being watched.”

Maggie looked around, noting a sedan driving down the road but nothing more. “I mean, it might be a weird place to drive at night…”

“We should get out of here.”

“No, if we go running, it’ll seem just as suspicious.” Alex shot her a disbelieving look. “C’mon, let’s just climb into the backseat. It’ll be like we were just looking for a place to hook up.”

“We have homes!”

“Where’s the fun in that, Danvers?”

“Ugh, don’t tell me I went and fell for some exhibitionist who’s going to get bored of her own bed in a week.”

“Aww, you fell for me?”

“Fuck off.”

“Gladly. Just come join me in the backseat.”

Eventually Alex relented, though she made sure all the doors were locked and that they had weapons at the ready. They both kept their eyes open and stayed fairly clothed, only staying in the backseat long enough to fog up the windows, at which point Alex felt far too on edge about her inability to stay vigilant and forced Maggie to crawl back into the front seat and get them back home. 

It took two hours, three glasses of wine, and one very long back massage for her to finally relax enough to fall into a fitful sleep.

\---

“We have a problem,” read the text message, and Sam cursed under her breath. Of course there was a problem; there was always a problem. 

“What’s wrong?” she sent back.

“Your new little scientist pet seems to be putting her nose where it doesn’t belong,” Lillian replied. “You take care of her or I will.”

“What do you mean?” Sam replied, instantly regretting her response. She knew better than to question Lillian, but Cat had seemed like her lifeline, her way of proving to Lillian that she was perfectly capable of leading the Metropolis branch of Cadmus, perfectly capable of exacting revenge on the Kryptonian who’d ruined her life so many years ago. 

Instead of responding with words, Lillian sent back a short, grainy video of what she could admit was Maria’s car and what looked an awful lot like Cat and Maria circling the abandoned lot where she and Lillian were to meet two days from now. Her gut twisted as they drove in a slow circle around the perimeter, though she felt her nerves settle slightly when they parked and climbed into the backseat.

“They’re just two kids in love,” she sent back, not quite believing her own words but needing Lillian to trust her.

“Are you questioning my authority?”

“No! No, I just meant to reassure you that they never get out of the car. But we can find a new location for our meeting.”

“The new location is already taken care of. And Sam?”

“Yes?”

“I want proof of Cat Sullivan’s usefulness by the time we meet. Or you might just find your little pet is no longer fit to work…”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff, some smut, some plot (in that order)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed the name that was wrong later in the chapter - apologies, running on stress, adrenaline, and very little sleep

“Good morning, princess,” Maggie whispered, pulling the covers down only to find them yanked back up.

“No,” came Alex’s muffled protests.

“You have to get to your lab.”

“I don’t want a day job,” Alex groaned. “I already have a night job and a real job.”

“If you don’t get up now, you won’t be able to drive in with me and you’ll end up freezing that cute little ass off biking to the lab.”

Alex inched the covers down just enough to reveal her mouth. “How cold is it?”

“Currently 31.” Maggie brandished her phone like a weapon as she held the incriminating evidence in front of Alex. “So get that ass out of bed.”

“I hate you.”

“I have coffee already brewing.”

“I don’t like you.”

“There’s leftover French toast already warming in the oven.”

“I’m ambivalent about you.”

Shooting Alex a disbelieving look, Maggie pulled her trump card. “You can come shower with me,” she promised, her voice low and alluring as she let her robe drop down over her shoulders just enough to make it clear that she’d already taken off her clothing.

“I’m coming!”

\---

The best thing Alex could say about the day was that it passed by relatively quickly. She spent the first half hour letting Maggie give her a tour of the neighborhood, followed by another half hour overview of the office space itself—not that there was much of interest for her. Finally they made it to the back section. “I had some contractors come in to convert this into lab space for you,” Maggie explained, gesturing at the long lab tables, the sinks and emergency shower, the Bunsen burners and selection of brand new beakers that glimmered in the sunlight flooding in through the windows. “Oh, and there are blackout curtains just in case.”

“This is…perfect,” Alex gasped. If she ever let J’onn talk her into dropping down to part-time for fieldwork and spending more time back at the office, she wondered if she could convince him to hire these contractors to build her a shiny new lab.

“Nothing but the best for my girl.”

“Well thank you,” Alex murmured, grabbing Maggie by the lapels of her pea coat and pulling her in for a soft kiss. 

“Of course. Now, I ordered a few of the basics, but I pulled some catalogues from different lab supply companies for you to go through and place an order. Just have them bill my office.”

“Really?”

“Let’s not go overboard with the first order, but you should have enough to work on whatever projects you need.”

Alex nodded picking up the first catalogue from the small pile and flipping it open. While Maggie went downstairs to talk to her “partner” back in National City about reassigning some of the staff to the Metropolis location, Alex spent the morning poring over catalogues, finding herself surprised by how much time had elapsed when Maggie came to get her for lunch. Over the course of the afternoon, she placed a few orders, trying to get a decent assortment that would allow her to at least look like she was working on projects that could be of interest to Cadmus. By the time 5pm rolled around, she was exhausted. Even though the bar closed earlier on weeknights, she felt like she was definitely getting too old to be able to stay up impossibly late and roll out of bed on time for a normal day job as though the lack of sleep didn’t get to her. 

“Ready to head home?” Maggie asked, popping her head into Alex’s lab.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

\---

Alex went and closed her eyes on the couch while they waited for the food they had ordered to arrive. She was grateful that they only had to wait up for the 9 o’clock meeting, even though she’d have to spend a long night at the bar for the next two days. 

“Babe. Babe, wake up,” Maggie whispered, gently shaking Alex. 

“Hmm? What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing’s wrong—dinner just got here. I thought you might be hungry.”

“Oh.” Alex yawned and rubbed at her eyes. “Yeah, yeah okay.”

Figuring Alex could probably use a break, Maggie brought the food and glasses of water over to the living room so they could eat out there.

“Didn’t know rich people were allowed to eat on the couch in front of the TV,” Alex teased. 

“I won’t tell if you don’t.”

Alex laughed as she leaned over to help Maggie pop open some of the containers. It was definitely much fancier than the potstickers and pizza she and Kara normally ordered, though she wasn’t about to complain as the aroma of a slow-cooked marinara sauce filled the room. Once they settled in with their plates, Maggie picked up the remote. “Want to watch something?”

“Yeah, sure. Got anything you’re already watching?”

“Not really—haven’t had time for much since I got here.”

“Oh really? So your watching The L Word that morning after we met…total fluke?”

Maggie glared over at Alex. “How in the hell did you get past all of my security? I have to say, the tech team was…impressed. Pissed. But a little impressed too.”

“I told you, I’ve got a guy.”

“One guy?”

“I mean, the DEO has more than one guy. But he and I end up working on the same projects more often than not.”

Maggie let out a low whistle. “Even more impressive. I probably won’t tell my people that.”

“If it makes you feel any better, we never did get back in.”

“Yeah…we really upped our security after that incident.”

Alex nodded knowingly; from what she could tell, the DEO had also started adding additional layers of security to all of its programs as well as attempting to forge ties with local agencies—they were still getting used to calling them anything other than vigilantes—to avoid ever having a situation like this again or to at least ensure a degree of cooperation. 

They ended up settling in with an episode of The Great British Bake Off over dinner. “How do you think you’d do?” Maggie asked, surveying Alex over a bite of gnocchi. 

“What? On the show?”

“No, in a calculus class. Of course on the show!” 

“Shit. Total shit.”

“Can’t cook?”

“I can do some things,” Alex said with a shrug, “but I need a recipe. Don’t really like experimenting when something is proven to work already.”

“Ah one of those types.”

“What does that mean?”

“It makes sense, I think, especially with a science background. You would want to simply match what you did to a precise formula.”

“It’s not like I’d take a toddler’s recipe; I’m taking recipes from published cookbooks,” Alex protested. Sure, sometimes even following the recipe to the letter turned out…less than ideal, but at least she had someone to blame this way.

“Yeah, but cooking can be about feeling too—like, sure, the recipe calls for one clove of garlic, but you’re standing there and smelling it and thinking to yourself, ‘Huh, I can barely smell the garlic, and I know that I love garlic.’ So you add more. And maybe while you’re at it, you add other things you know go well with garlic.” She didn’t get to cook too much these days—too often her undercover missions ran her ragged, leaving her with little to no time to do anything more than call in for takeout—but she enjoyed it when she could. 

“So I guess you’d be great at this, huh?”

“Oh fuck no. I like cooking, but I’m a shit baker.”

“Hmm, my little sister would be great at it. Helps that dessert is pretty much her favorite meal of the day,” Alex added with a snort of laughter. Maggie watched as some of the creases seemed to ease out of her face as she thought about her family; it wasn’t her experience, but she loved seeing the way that Alex seemed to brighten, like some burden had been lifted for just a moment when she talked about Kara. Of course, other times it was soon replaced by a cold determination—a kind of hardness that reminded her more of Sam than Alex, even if the motives were purer. 

“Maybe one day I’ll get to try something she makes,” Maggie suggested, looking firmly at her plate as her words lingered in the air. She wondered if it were too much—too much to suggest that perhaps something they had here would linger after their mission ended, might follow them back to National City when real life got in the way. 

Alex bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. She thought Maggie and Kara would likely get along well; they’d probably team up to tease her, though she suspected it might not be the worst thing in the world if it meant getting to be around her favorite person to hang out with and someone who was very quickly making her way up that (short) list. “You’ll have to try her chocolate pecan pie. I’m…not a fan, but she’ll tell you it’s the very best dessert that’s ever been invented.”

“No way does it compare to tiramisu.”

“What do you both have against a good ice cream sundae? Maybe brownies? The classics!”

“If you make it vegan ice cream…”

“Gross.”

“I’ve got some in the freezer; I can prove to you it’s pretty delicious.”

“No thank you. I’d rather eat the Styrofoam containers our dinner came in.”

“Whatever, it’s your loss.”

Alex just rolled her eyes and shook her head; there was no way she was ever going to try vegan ice cream. (As it turned out, the offer to lick it off of Maggie’s abs a few days later proved too enticing to refuse, and she eventually admitted that it was “less awful than expected.”)

After dinner, they lounged on the couch, trading horror stories from their years on the job as they waited for 9 o’clock to arrive. 

“So, wait, you’re telling me you carried around a fake baby for three whole weeks, and no one noticed?”

“What was I supposed to do? Bring a real baby into danger?”

“Well what about the other kid? I guess you could get away with keeping a baby swaddled or something, but no way do people fall for a little robot teenager.”

“Oh, no, he was real. He was actually fresh out of college, but he was really short—baby faced, sandy blonde hair we let grow out a bit, chubby pink cheeks, the works. Luckily it was summer, so he was able to pretty much blend in at sports camp. The soccer practice came as a surprise, though,” Maggie added with a cackling laugh. “I think he nearly died the first day when they had them run three miles as just their warm up.”

“I have to ask—did he ever go back into the field after that?”

“Yeah, yeah, he did. Took him a couple of months,” Maggie conceded. “So what about you? What’s your weirdest undercover detail?”

“Wait, you never told me what you were working on going all suburban mom.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s confidential.”

Alex looked beyond intrigued, but she let it go, knowing she was still keeping plenty of confidential secrets from Maggie as well. “Hmm…I once went undercover as a limo driver.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, local mob boss’ limo driver had been killed, so they sent me in as the replacement.”

“How was that?”

“I’ve never had to ignore so many disgusting things going on in the backseat.” Alex shuddered at the memories. “It was one of the few jobs I wasn’t able to complete…”

“That bad?”

“No. Well, yeah, probably. But I actually got fired.”

“What the hell did you do to get yourself fired by a mob boss?” Maggie asked incredulously. 

Rubbing at the back of her neck, Alex pursed her lips. “Apparently I wasn’t the best driver they’ve ever had…”

“I don’t see you being the particularly slow and cautious type, so what were you doing? Wrong turns or tailgating.”

“Neither. Simply alerting other drivers of their flaws.”

“So screaming obscenities out the window?” 

“I like to think of them as helpful reminders to suck less. It would seem drawing attention to a limo full of high-ranking members of the mob was a…less than desirable characteristic.”

Maggie snorted into her water glass, imagining some sort of carefully orchestrated scene of intimidation happening in the backseat when all of the sudden the window was rolled down and Alex’s head popped out letting loose a stream of profanities that probably had even mob bosses blushing. “I think you might win that round.”

“What? My vocabulary beating your animatronic baby? No way.”

Maggie just shrugged, looking down at her watch to check the time. “Alright, half an hour left. Want to get the tapes all ready?”

“Sounds good.” Alex began hooking up the laptop to Maggie’s television while Maggie cleared their dishes, leaving the area perfectly clean by the time Alex had everything ready to watch—still with plenty of time to spare. 

For a few minutes, they sat in silence, watching the occasional car drive by, never lingering or turning into the dark lot. “Quite the thriller. I’m on the edge of my seat over here,” Maggie deadpanned.

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m already sleepy, and this isn’t helping.”

“Well…what if I made it more fun while we wait?

“What do you mean?” Alex asked, even as she could feel her heart beginning to beat faster in her chest and a familiar, aching want settling low in her core, pulsing in time with her heart. 

“I mean,” Maggie murmured, slipping off the couch and settling between Alex’s legs on her knees, “maybe I could help keep you awake while you watch for any movement.”

With a low whimper and a subtle nod, Alex lifted herself up off the couch just enough for Maggie to shimmy her pants down and off. Maggie started slowly, kissing up each thigh and lingering at Alex’s hips, letting her fingers skim up the outsides of Alex’s legs as she continued her slow, steady path to exactly where Alex wanted her.

Alex’s head fell back as Maggie’s mouth finally made contact, her tongue moving torturously slow as she parted Alex, murmuring about just how good Alex tasted, how much she’d wanted to do this all day—to have her way with Alex this morning, even after the fun of the shower, to let her hands wander while they sat in morning rush hour traffic, to throw Alex across one of those long lab tables and let her moans bounce and echo all around the empty room. 

“Eyes open,” Maggie reminded Alex, noting the way her eyes had drifted closed even as her mouth had fallen open. 

And Alex knew she should be looking at the screen—and she did, for the most part—but she couldn’t help but glancing down, watching the way Maggie seemed to lose herself in the experience as her tongue mapped a sinfully slow, sensuous path up and around her clit, only to drop back down and tease at her entrance, never lingering long enough to push Alex over the edge. 

With just a few minutes until 9, Maggie decided Alex deserved some reward for her patience, figuring she should let her come before, rather than waiting until after Lillian inevitably killed the mood. So she pressed in closer, her hands gripping at Alex’s hips and holding her tight as she finally gave Alex the release she’d been begging for—soft, increasingly desperate pleas falling freely from her lips. She lingered, letting Alex come down, letting herself enjoy one last taste before finally climbing back up onto the couch and meeting Alex’s lips in a lazy, languid kiss. 

Before Alex could offer to reciprocate, Maggie shook her head. “When this is over, I promise.”

Only, 9 o’clock came and went. But not a single car stopped. Not a single car lingered. Not a single person appeared. 

“This can’t be good,” Alex insisted, shaking her head. 

“It doesn’t have to be bad,” Maggie hedged. “You know those terrorist-types—it’s just like them to cancel at the last minute.” Alex just pursed her lips, glaring until Maggie relented. “Fine, okay, it’s not ideal, but I doubt it’s as big of a deal as you’re making it out to be.”

Alex remained unconvinced, handing over a pair of headphones and insisting they listen to the last several hours of recordings from the bar and Sam’s home. They all pointed to the same conclusion—Sam was still going to meet Lillian, but not at the lot they’d agreed upon.

“Do you think it’s a trap? They let the information out there to see if we’d try anything?” Alex asked, her mind racing as a hundred possibilities presented themselves to her—all the ways their identities could have been compromised, the ways Sam and Lillian might torture them if they found out, the ways Lillian might torture Kara if they found out even more, and god, she wouldn’t be responsible for that woman getting her hands on Kara a second time. She wasn’t able to be there then, but she damn well would be now. 

“Well, if it is, we still didn’t show up there tonight, so that’s gotta count for something. At this point the best we can do is stay vigilant but stick to our stories. Any changes now will just throw everything into question.”

Alex sighed, rubbing at her temples. She knew Maggie was right, and yet, something didn’t sit right, the horrible possibilities for all that Lillian might do to Kara curling through her thoughts like wisps of black smoke, coloring everything they touched, tainting it, casting doubt on it. 

“So what do you propose we do?” Alex asked, forcing herself back to the present, forcing herself to think proactively.

“Why don’t we watch the tapes from Sam’s house, see when she gets back, and go from there. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and she’ll say something?” Maggie knew she was grasping at straws, but Alex seemed exceptionally distraught, and she couldn’t help but feel like she was missing some key detail, something that had Alex on edge, something that had upped the stakes for her. 

“Fine,” Alex shrugged, getting everything set up, even though she doubted it would do much good. 

An hour later, Sam walked back into her house, a stiffness to her posture that Alex rarely saw. It wasn’t the same ramrod straight military posture she’d displayed while talking to the press, and it was a far cry from the relaxed swagger when she was with Tasha and playing hostess. 

“How was it?” came Tasha’s voice through the bug in the living room—and oh, Alex hadn’t expected that, hadn’t dared to hope that Sam might have opened up to someone else. 

“It was fine,” Sam answered, but her tone was clipped. Her reassurances sounded empty and hollow. 

“Hey, tell me what happened.”

“You shouldn’t have even known it was happening in the first place,” Sam snapped. That was more like it, Alex thought, looking over at Maggie and seeing a similar expression on her face—the look of someone who knew what it was like having to lie to family and friends and lovers day in and day out, even if the reasons were different. 

“Well I know now, so why don’t you just tell me?” 

“I didn’t quite expect the backbone there,” Maggie whispered. 

“It’s fine. She just—she always wants more than what I’ve offered. But we’ll get there. We always do.”

“If anyone can get what she wants, it’s you,” Tasha murmured, and Alex and Maggie both cringed, wondering if they would be subjected to the lovely experience of listening to a sex tape together. Maggie found herself beyond grateful she’d anticipated that the meeting could be a mood killer and let Alex finish before. 

“Unfortunately this time it involves other people,” Sam sighed. “Remind me to text Cat in the morning. It’s about time she start earning her place around here.”

\---

The next morning, Alex woke up with a message from Sam: “I’m coming by the lab this afternoon. I have a list of projects I think you’ll agree are worthy of your time.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter than usual chapter, since I'm just getting back from traveling, but I'll be back with the next plot-heavy chapter Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon!

By that afternoon, the Metropolis branch of the consulting firm had been transformed. Alex’s lab’s cupboards had been filled, courtesy of a few overnight orders, and the offices, while not bustling yet, filled with a steady stream of people—all thanks to Kate’s quick reassignment of some of her employees not on missions, along with a few of the new recruits who were there to act as new hires—some fresh blood for the company. They’d outfitted the offices with enough technology to ensure that anyone from Cadmus who came or went would be recorded. 

Maggie came in early that morning and forced herself to pull out the best that Maria’s wardrobe had to offer. Over the past couple of weeks with Alex, she’d let herself relax—not enough to compromise her identity, but enough that she’d ditched Maria’s stilettos and silk for skinny jeans and boots. Today, though, she and Alex decided that Sam needed to see them as exactly the kind of people she thought she knew. So Maggie spent the morning cursing under her breath as she snagged a first pair of pantyhose, tripped while trying to multitask in Louboutins, and shivered when the first gust of late autumn air sent a chill across her bare legs on her walk to the car. 

Meanwhile Alex had let herself get comfortable in the black jeans and hoodies she’d found filling Cat’s closet that first day and pumped up her bike tires, pulling on some of the warmer winter attire J’onn had mailed to her before throwing her bike up on her shoulder and trudging down the stairs and out into the cold air. When she found herself winded halfway to work, she made a mental note to do a better job of keeping up with her fitness. Apparently no amount of sex quite made up for the rigors of sparring back at the DEO and long runs in a city where the weather was at least considerate enough to stay above 50. 

By lunch, Alex had managed to get a few formulas from Cat’s past projects scratched across whiteboards and had a couple of tests running that she hoped would distract Sam from the distinct lack of new research happening. 

“Cat, wanna come meet the new hires?” Maggie called from the doorway of Alex’s lab. Sure, Cat wouldn’t be a formal employee, even if this were a real business, but she figured even consultants catering to the rich and bigoted would eventually want to know who the random woman in Vans and sweatshirts roaming their office hallways and lurking by the coffee maker was. 

“Oh, sure,” Alex answered with a shrug, making sure everything was okay before closing her door and locking it with a satisfying click. “I just have to be back for the meeting at 2.”

“Don’t worry—this is a get-to-know-you lunch only; I’m not about to turn it into some kind of orientation where suddenly everyone is being asked to team up with people they’ve never met and do trust falls.”

Alex let out a small snort of amusement, shaking her head at the image of Maggie turning into some peppy corporate leader. “I don’t think doing trust falls in those shoes would really be the best idea.”

“Mm, probably right. I can think of other games you and I could play in them though,” Maggie added, her voice a low purr as she moved her mouth up to Alex’s ear. 

“We’re at work,” Alex hissed.

“I’m the boss!”

“God, the power’s already going to your head,” Alex teased. 

“You like it when I have the power.”

Alex’s cheeks flushed a pale pink even as she rolled her eyes. Before she could think of some witty retort, Maggie guided her into the conference room, settling into a seat at the head of the table and motioning for Alex to take the seat next to her. Once a few more people trickled in, Maggie cleared her throat. “Welcome to the Metropolis branch of Bosch Consulting—soon to be Bosch & Sterling! For those of you coming from National City, we’re so glad you accepted the offer to come help us build this new location from the ground up. And for our new hires, welcome! I’m excited to see what fresh new ideas you can bring to the table!” Maggie took a deep breath, having about exhausted her reserve of faux-corporate enthusiasm already. “I thought we could use this lunch as a chance to get to know one another a little better. I ordered sandwiches and drinks for everyone, so eat up and enjoy.”

As everyone swarmed over to the table with the free food—a draw no matter how old people were—Maggie slumped down into her chair. “This is the worst,” she muttered to Alex, careful to keep her voice low even though everyone here knew it wasn’t a real job.

“Just a few more hours before I can go home and make your day a little better.”

“You have to go to the bar from here—don’t get my hopes up,” Maggie grumbled. 

“Well, if you can wait up…”

“It’s a Friday—I’d have to wait up until 2 or 3 in the morning.”

“You know I’d make it worth your while…”

“Really? You wouldn’t just pass out in bed while we were making out…again?”

“It happened once,” Alex huffed, straightening back up as some of the employees made their way back to the table. “I’m gonna go grab a sandwich. Want something?”

“I’ll come get it.”

Over lunch, Maggie forced herself to branch out and talk to some of the employees about their plans for setting up operations in Metropolis. They brainstormed names of possible new clients and ways of recruiting them. At one point she moved down the table to talk PR with some of the younger folks, asking if they’d be up for some community engagement. Even if the consulting firm would mysteriously disappear soon enough, it couldn’t hurt to cement their image as an institution really attempting to settle into the neighborhood and attract the attention of Metropolis’ wealthiest elite. 

Around 1:30, Alex tapped Maggie on the arm. “I’m gonna head back to the lab, get a few things straightened up.”

“Perfect, I’ll meet Sam when she gets here, give her a little tour of the space if she wants it, then bring her down to you.”

“Sounds good.”

Once Alex got back to her lab, she tried to calm her nerves by methodically checking each of her cupboards against the checklists and guides she had prepared, having even gone so far as to channel her inner Kara and laminate them. She paced back and forth, trying not to dwell on what it might mean that Sam had texted her immediately after her moved meeting with Lillian. No matter how often Maggie tried to reassure her that they were making the best of the situation by staying calm and in character, she couldn’t help but feel her anxiety spike, fear twisting in her gut whenever Lillian was involved. She knew all of the problems she had wrought in National City, and she’d be damned if Kara were harmed again—especially if it was her fault. 

Down the hall, Maggie kept an eye trained on the security camera pointed at the front entrance to the building, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Sam’s arrival. As much as she insisted to Alex that everything was fine, she knew neither of them quite believed it, but she had long ago accepted a constant feeling of creeping unease as part of the job. Only, this time, no matter how wary she was of Lillian, she couldn’t help but feel more confident. She had a brilliant, capable agent by her side, and no matter how tough and shrewd Cadmus was, she couldn’t help but trust that together, they were better.

As soon as she saw Sam striding toward the front door, she minimized the security feed and pulled back up her email on one monitor and a spreadsheet of potential clients in Metropolis on another. After a few minutes, her secretary’s voice came over the intercom: “Ms. Sterling? There’s a Ms. Wheeler here to see you and Ms. Sullivan.”

“I’ll be right out.” With a deep breath, Maggie straightened her suit jacket, plastered a friendly enough smile on her face, and strode out to greet Sam. 

“Maria,” Sam called out. “The office looks wonderful. It’s nice to see what you’ve done with the place.”

Maggie smiled, remembering just how different Sam’s public persona could be. “It’s great to see you, Sam. How about a quick tour before we go see Cat? I’m sure she’d love a couple of extra minutes alone in her lab—you know how scientist types can get!”

Sam forced a smile, forced herself not to point out that she’d already been waiting an exceptionally long time to see any progress from Cat and that she reported to someone who thought waiting was an offense worthy of punishment by execution. “Of course, though I am in a bit of a hurry today.”

“Sure, sure,” Maggie agreed, guiding Sam to the far end of the offices as she went over the basics, introducing her to a few of the agents she had worked with at Kane Agencies long enough to know that they would do a good job of keeping their covers. Sam was duly impressed with the staff and how knowledgeable they all seemed to be about the area already, complimenting Maria on finding them and getting them trained and up to speed in such a timely manner. 

Eventually Maggie figured she could put off the inevitable no longer and led Sam down to Alex’s lab. “Cat?” Maggie called out, finding Alex hunched over a microscope and looking fairly adorable in the dorkiest of ways.

“Hey,” Alex said, looking up and blinking a few times as her vision readjusted. “Good to see you, Sam. How was your week?”

“Oh, not particularly eventful,” Sam lied. “And yours?”

“Lots of work getting the lab set up—finally feel like I’m settling in, though.”

“We managed to squeeze in a few nights out for us too, babe,” Maggie added with an ostentatious wink, figuring they should keep their cover secure on all accounts. “Now, should I leave you two to it? Or did you have questions about funding? I’m happy to be as supportive as I can, but if you’ll need funding, any and all projects will need to be run through me first—I’ll need to have some justifications, at least on paper, for why company funds are being used.”

“There will be no need for that. As much as we appreciate your generosity in giving Cat space and equipment, I come bearing the rest that she’ll need. Of course, any time not spent on these projects can be used however you see fit—or whatever your personal arrangement is,” Sam clarified.

Maggie nodded, wondering at what point these suggested projects had become orders. “Well, call if you need anything.”

Once Maggie left, Sam pulled out one of the lab stools and sat down, setting a small binder Lillian had given her at their meeting the night before on the table. “Now, of course you’ll have freedom to choose from these projects, but I thought, based on your previous work, these ones might be of particular interest to you.”

“Great.” Alex forced herself to smile as Sam slid the binder down to her. She flipped through, while Sam went through them.

“Ah, Project Medusa,” Sam remarked, looking over Alex’s shoulder at the page where she had stopped. “I remember you mentioning something about bioengineering, so this might be right up your alley. Of course, some chemistry will be needed as well—we’ll need to synthesize Isotope 454.”

“What for?” Alex asked, hoping she sounded more curious than upset. Skimming through the page, she could tell it was a plan some kind of airborne pathogen, though she didn’t have time for a thorough read with Sam hovering.

“Unfortunately the compound some of our other scientists have been developing can’t be distributed long-range as is, but this Isotope would function as a dispersal agent,” Sam answered, reciting what she remembered of Lillian’s all too brief descriptions. 

“And Project Hydra?” Alex wondered who the former Classics major was working for Cadmus.

Sam bit back her own reaction—it was one thing to control the alien menace, to wipe them out, but she knew Lillian intended for this to be used on humans—specifically on Cadmus agents. Affecting an air of nonchalance, Sam shrugged. “It’s a type of microbe that we’d like to see introduced into…sometimes inhospitable environments. As it stands, it doesn’t reproduce quickly enough to stay viable.”

“Viable for…?” Alex trailed off, looking expectantly back at Sam. This one had almost no information about project aims. 

Mind control, Sam thought. A way for Lillian to control her agents, even killing them, from a distance. “Life in human hosts,” she answered simply. 

Alex barely repressed a shudder, wondering why Cadmus would need something to reproduce quickly enough to, she assumed, colonize a living host. “Mm, I don’t know that’s exactly my area of expertise…”

Nodding, Sam flipped the page, glad to see that Alex seemed to have mimicked her own affected apathy to the project. “Next up is Project Helios. We’re hoping to create a substance that could absorb vast quantities of heat and energy.”

Alex nodded, making a mental note to come back to that project. None of the projects were things she wanted to hand over to Cadmus, but something defensive was far preferable to a weapon, especially to some of the ones she skimmed past—much of it clearly appropriated alien technology, and a few pages that seemed devoted to different agents of mind control, whether they were the microbes or synthetic hormones meant to mimic the body’s fear response, among others. 

Noting how interested Cat seemed to be in the binder, Sam cleared her throat, drawing the woman’s attention back to her. “It looks like something’s caught your fancy.”

“Oh plenty,” Alex replied. And it was true enough—J’onn would definitely be getting briefed on all of it once they could get a secure line. 

“Now, we’ll supply you with whatever you need, but I’ll need to know which projects you plan to start with.”

“Ah, right. Project Helios, for sure,” Alex began, figuring that would be her best bet for something she could show demonstrable progress on without having to worry too much about actively harming the alien populace. Sam nodded and made a quick note before looking back up at her. “Um, let’s see…Project Proteus sounds interesting.” In fact it sounded absolutely horrifying, taking White Martian stem cells and finding a way to harness their mutability and, presumably, weaponize it.

“Anything else?”

“What about the synthetic kryptonite?” Alex had absolutely no desire to perfect it, but she would do anything to get her hands on the research Cadmus already had. If she could introduce a flaw—something that Kara and Clark could be ready to combat before Cadmus even got it out in the streets…

“A fitting choice for this city,” Sam remarked. “I’ll have the materials you’ll need and the research we have delivered here Monday morning. If you need anything—materials, money, assistance—just say the word.” The assumption of a show of good faith, of progress being made and deliverables being produced, went unstated. 

“Thank you.”

“Anything for the cause, right?”

Alex gulped and nodded, hoping she was just letting her imagination run wild, conjuring up the look of suspicion she swore she caught in Sam’s expression. “Everything for the greater good.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vaguely nsfw...  
> Excited to hear your thoughts!

The weekend came and went in a blur of late night bar shifts and early morning encrypted check-ins with J’onn and Kate, then whole days spent listening to tapes and watching recordings, desperately searching for proof of what Lillian was up to and of just how deep Sam might be, how much she might know.

Come Monday morning, Maggie and Alex were both exhausted—their weekends no less tiring than their weeks. But Alex forced herself out of bed in plenty of time to leave with Maggie, knowing Sam was having the Cadmus materials delivered early that morning. Maggie had gone into the offices over the weekend to make sure that there were plenty of cameras set up all around Alex’s lab to ensure that Kate and J’onn would be able to see everything that Cadmus had on file in live time. The two weren't exactly getting along, but they'd found a way to work together without constantly sniping at one another, and Alex counted that as a win in her book.

They spent the drive to the office in relative silence, though Maggie reached out and held Alex’s hand for much of the drive, pulling her hand back only to navigate particularly dodgy sections of the trip. When they pulled into the parking garage, Maggie leaned over, pressing her lips to Alex’s, just for a moment, before pulling back and letting her forehead rest against Alex's, whispering, “You do what you have to do for the job—I get it, more than anyone.”

“I know,” Alex sighed. After waking up in a cold sweat, her heart racing and her legs heavy as lead, Alex had tried pacing around Maggie’s apartment, tried driving the images of Kara’s lifeless form from her head, tried to forget all the destruction that her scientific experience and specialized knowledge of Kryptonian physiology could be used to bring about. Maggie had found her in the living room sitting on the floor with her back pressed to the side of the couch, trying to ground herself with the discomfort, trying to find some way—any way—to convince herself that staying, that helping these people, might be worth the risks. She had known better than to try to act like it was all fine, like the morally ambiguous things a job like theirs required didn’t eat away at her too, make her question if she were really on the right side of things. Instead, she simply sat with Alex; held her hand and guided her back to bed when she was ready; kissed her forehead and whispered to her that she believed in her, that she knew Alex was trying, that Alex was a better person than almost anyone she knew, that even if they hadn’t known each other that long, she felt it somewhere deep inside of her. 

With a deep breath, Alex forced herself out of the car and into the elevator, made her way through the office and into her lab. She methodically cleared off all of her counters, sanitized any surface in the room, and went through her checklists once more, noting all of the empty spaces where she could organize anything Cadmus brought to her today.

It was another hour before her delivery arrived. Sam texted her apologizing that she wouldn’t be able to make it but asking that she confirm receipt. She did. And then she tested it extensively for bugs, finding none. She pulled out the notes of research for Project Helios first and set to learning as much as she could about the progress they had made. Apparently they had a scientist who had made a synthetic material that had met their small size requirements, but it had the unfortunate tendency to combust when enough heat and energy were absorbed, rendering it somewhat useless as a defense mechanism. As Alex picked through the old notes, she found herself grinning in spite of herself. It wasn’t that she wanted Cadmus to have such a device, but Alex had always enjoyed picking apart problems that others had deemed unsolvable, finding the small missed step, the detail that would allow a solution to emerge—elegant and natural, always there, hiding in plain sight, obvious if one knew just where to look. Sure, it was precisely this tendency that led Kara to tease her as a dork, but she’d seen the way the Kryptonian did math, and if anyone could understand the beauty of an equation, of numbers sliding into place and making sense of randomness, of finding order in chaos, it was Kara. So she focused in on the work, letting herself get lost in the previous scientist’s notes, marking any instances of possible errors, human assumptions built into equations where they simply didn’t belong. 

“Hey, Cat,” Maggie’s voice startled Alex. 

“What? What’s up?”

“Didn’t see you at lunch…thought I would come make sure you were alright.”

“Oh. Shit, sorry. I got a little lost in the notes.”

“I can see,” Maggie observed, chuckling quietly. “Looks like I made the right call dragging you out of the bar and down to the lab, huh?”

The corner of Alex’s mouth turned up in a small smile. “I missed it more than I thought I did.”

Maggie couldn’t help but think that sounded rather honest, like perhaps Alex had given up another career, another life she might have led, for this one. “I brought you a sandwich, thought maybe you could use it.”

Alex’s stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl. “You, Maria, are a lifesaver.”

“Mm, or just a fabulous girlfriend.”

“I think both are accurate,” Alex teased, rising from the lab bench and stretching until she felt the satisfying pop of joints righting themselves, finding that she had gotten stiff sitting hunched over notebooks for hours on end. “I’m gonna go eat in the break room if you want to join?”

“Uh,” Maggie hedged, wondering if she should play the dutiful CEO and get back to work. “Why not? Yeah, I can take a few extra minutes.”

“Excellent.”

\--

By the time they left work that evening, Alex’s mind was teeming with ideas and possible solutions for how she might be able to improve upon the earlier designs. Some of the old work would have to be discarded entirely, but she suspected parts were salvageable. She had texted Sam at the end of the day asking for certain materials that she wanted to use to try to synthesize a new compound that could be added in place of one of the rather flammable elements the last scientist had used. 

“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Maggie asked as she merged onto the highway, having decided that a night spent out at a restaurant for dinner, rather than hunched over laptops and recorders with boxes of takeout littered around them, was in order. 

“Mm, well, I guess I’ll have to look at some of the other projects. I don’t really want to waste time on Helios when I know I won’t be able to test any of my assumptions until I have more materials. 

“So which one do you think you’ll try?”

“Well…I think, if I’m being honest, Sam won’t have expected me to get as far on Helios in a week as I did this morning.”

“My little genius,” Maggie interjected. 

Ignoring the compliment, Alex shook her head. “I think it’ll buy me a bit of time to investigate what they’ve been doing with a synthetic kryptonite, try to figure out if there are ways either to sabotage their work without it being obvious or to design solutions that would keep Superman and Supergirl safe even if they do perfect it.”

“Didn’t realize you were such a fangirl,” Maggie teased.

“What? No—no, just civic duty,” Alex insisted.

“Um, sure…” 

“Yeah.”

“Alright, well, that sounds like a good plan to me.”

“What about you? What’s your day look like?”

Maggie tried to think back to her calendar. Keeping things straight was made much more difficult by the abundance of fake meetings with fake investors and fake clients and fake employees that mingled on her iCal with a few real meetings she had set with clients Sam and Victor had referred to her. “Uh, meetings pretty much all day, trying to get more names of some of these wealthy elites who've gotten themselves involved with Cadmus, or at least with funding it. Sure I could squeeze you in for lunch, though,” she added with a wink. 

“Yeah, yeah, I see how it is—I’m just an afterthought.” Alex tried to maintain a serious face but ended up cracking up when she caught a glimpse of the side eye Maggie was giving her. 

“Can we call this a no work discussion dinner?”

“I’m so down for that.”

“Just Maria and Cat—out to eat at a nice restaurant.” Maggie didn’t add that she desperately wanted to be able to go out as Maggie and Alex, to be open and honest at all times. Of course, as Maggie she’d never be able to afford a restaurant like this, let alone jump ahead of the weeks’ long waiting list, but still, there was a reason the lazy nights spent in, feet up on the ottoman, containers of takeout in their laps, sweatpants on, recorders flipped off for a break as conversation flowed easily, were some of her favorite memories.

“And then maybe Cat and Maria can go back home and do as many couples do after a nice date?” Alex suggested, not wanting to push, but also feeling the want that had been building over the past days pulsing through her veins, electrifying every touch between them. She understood why they hadn’t done anything; between the tapes and her extra shifts at the bar, they hadn’t exactly had much time or energy. But it didn’t mean she didn’t want Maggie, didn’t crave her touch.

“I think that sounds perfect.” And Alex knew she wasn’t imagining the distinctly lower register into which Maggie’s voice had slid, the way her eyes had darkened slightly and her grip on the steering wheel had grown just a little tighter. 

They ended up skipping dessert after Maggie nearly threw the dessert menu back at their waiter when Alex’s hand slid up the inside of her thigh. “We’re just fine!” she had gasped, before clearing her throat and requesting the check please. 

\---

The next morning, Alex woke up curled into Maggie’s bare chest, her leg thrown across Maggie’s thighs and wrapped around her. She remembered having cuddled into her after coming for what had to have been the third or fourth time, though she had no memory of drifting off to sleep—only of Maggie’s comforting embrace and the steady beat of her heart, the rise and fall of her chest. 

“Morning,” Alex mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

Maggie yawned, patting Alex gently as she struggled to wrest herself from dreams and back into reality.

“C’mon, you’ve got an evil corporation to run,” Alex whispered, a teasing lilt to her voice.

“Why did you wake up so chipper?” Maggie grumbled.

“Well this really fabulous woman fucked me for hours last night…”

“Mm, I could use a woman like that,” Maggie teased. Before she could quite gather what was happening, Alex had settled between her legs, her lips pressing hot kisses up and down her still bare inner thighs.

“Would it help you to wake up?”

“Wake up? Absolutely. Get out of bed? Absolutely not.”

“Fair enough. I guess I’ll just go put on coffee…”

“I didn’t say no!” 

Alex settled back down, a cocky smirk on her lips. “One and done kind of morning, got it?”

Maggie nodded her agreement, her head soon hitting the pillows once more as Alex’s tongue found its way between her legs.

\---

Sam rubbed at her temples as she read through the string of messages she’d received from Lillian overnight. They started out easy enough to handle—mainly just requests for updates and confirmation that Cat had been given all the materials she required—but transitioned to increasingly suspicious—reminders that she wanted hard proof that Cat and Maria weren’t investigating them—and ended on a rather threatening note—less-than-subtle reminders about how Sam wouldn’t want Tasha to become the next Jocelyn, would she? 

Sam looked over to her bed where Tasha was still stretched out fast asleep, her hair splayed out across the pillow and an arm tossed across her face—a vain attempt at blocking out the sunshine that was now streaming through the windows. Perhaps now was the time to drive her away once again, to keep Tasha safe by keeping her distance. 

“I’ll check in on Cat tomorrow,” Sam finally replied, deciding to ignore the thinly veiled threats. 

“Don’t tell her you’re coming,” came the instructions almost immediately. Sam wondered if the woman ever slept. 

“Okay.”

Deciding she deserved one last moment of comfort before facing the world with the all too familiar mask of a frigid hardness firmly in place, Sam slid back into bed, curling around Tasha and blinking back the emotion that threatened to break forth when Tasha murmured her name in her sleep, pressing her back more firmly against her as though drawn to her presence. She wouldn't let her become the next victim of the alien menace, or, she thought, letting herself be honest for a moment, Lillian's increasingly desperate schemes. Not again. 

\---

Late on Wednesday afternoon, Alex stood leaning over her lab table, all of the notes on the synthetic kryptonite research spread out in front of her, along with her own notes on the structural flaws in its design and hypotheses about how to exploit them until she could come up with a more permanent solution. She’d already mapped out a few possibilities she was excited to test and had made sure that J’onn had seen everything she had so far. She had a few simulations running on one of the computers Maggie had supplied, not quite trusting anything electronic provided by Cadmus, knowing how easy it was to install programs to record every keystroke, save every simulation, and so far the results were promising, even if they were still rather preliminary. 

“Al—Cat!” Maggie hissed as she sped through the door into Alex’s lab, kicking it shut behind her.

“What?” Alex's heart thudded in her chest, and she could feel adrenaline kicking in and coursing through her veins. If something had Maggie forgetting their undercover identities, it surely must be bad.

“Sam’s coming!”

“Here?”

“Yes!” Maggie panted, slightly winded from nearly vaulting over her desk and making it down the hallway in mere seconds. 

“Shit, help me clean this up.”

“No! No time, she’s literally here—saw on the security feed.”

Alex let loose a string of obscenities as she closed out of her computer simulations and tried to gather up all of her papers, spinning the whiteboard toward one of the hidden cameras to ensure she had her work saved, in a manner of speaking, before running the eraser over it. “Get the papers somewhere!” 

“No time,” Maggie whispered, knowing her “secretary” would only be able to stall for so long, and given that Sam was already in the building, they’d likely already wasted most of their time. “Take off your pants!”

Alex glared. “This plan doesn’t get to work every single time.”

“We don’t have time for anything better! She’s not gonna ask you to lift your left ass cheek so she can check your research,” Maggie pointed out, already pushing Alex’s pants over her hips and thanking whatever higher power might exist when Alex cooperated and lifted herself onto the table. She threw her legs over Maggie’s neck, trapping her with the pants still pulled up to her knees. 

“Kinky,” Maggie laughed, not bothering to mention that she had planned to get on top of Alex so as better to protect her from view. Instead, she ducked her head down and threw an arm protectively across Alex’s hips, determined to shield most of her from sight. She even let down her hair, sacrificing a clear view of the door to cover more of the woman beneath her.

As a loud knock sounded on the door, Maggie ducked her head down further, hoping her hair would hide her anxious expression until it could be excused as panic about being caught fucking the resident scientist. Before she could even yell that they were busy, the door swung open.

The normally unshakable Sam startled for a moment before quickly regaining her composure and pushing the door shut behind her. “Catharine, I know it’s been several years since you did anything beyond fun little experiments in your mother's garage, but this lab is not the place for those kinds of experiments. We’re trusting you to be an adult.”

Alex blushed and nodded, feeling more and more like a teenager caught by a disapproving parent than ever before.

“I’m not about to move my face with you still there,” Maggie said, her voice gruff with a faint edge of anger and possessiveness to it that had Alex fighting back a whimper, fighting to keep her hips from canting up into Maggie's touch. Now was the literal definition of not the time.

Sam let out a huff of annoyance but turned to leave. “Send me a detailed report on your progress within the next ten minutes,” she snapped as she let herself out, figuring a deadline that short could only be met if Cat really had been hard at work.

Maggie quickly texted the agent seated at the office front desk and, upon getting the all clear, wrangled herself out from the tangle of Alex’s jeans, offering a hand to help the woman down from the table as she pulled up her jeans and straightened out her papers, organizing them into neat piles before pulling out the laptop once more to draft a quick summary of the work she'd accomplished on Helios. She even threw in a line about beginning to read through the past notes on the synthetic kryptonite report, figuring it couldn't hurt to show that she was forging ahead while she waited for materials. 

When Sam received the report, she skimmed through it and, figuring it looked like a rather impressive amount of work to have been accomplished in a mere three days, sent it over to Lillian, who replied moments later: "Adequate." At least she had bought herself some time—time she planned to use to run a small investigation or two of her own. First there was the small matter of figuring out exactly what it was Cat Sullivan and Maria Sterling were up to. A few scraps of proof should placate Lillian for the time being. The more pressing question was what to do about Lillian herself. She wondered just how far she might be able to push Cat, how easily she could be persuaded to dig deeper into Project Hydra.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Action, adventure, and a lot more of Waverly (and Nicole) than we've seen in a while. As usual, excited to hear your thoughts!

Maggie braced herself at the teasing cackle in Kate’s voice. She had grown accustomed to Kate’s teasing many years ago, but Alex—well, Alex was another story. “The day after you set up all those cameras to stream right to me, Mags? You wanted to show off your new undercover girlfriend to all your co-workers back here?”

“It wasn’t like that,” Maggie grumbled. “We didn’t have time, and we sure as hell couldn’t have Sam catching a glimpse of Alex designing an anti-kryptonite.”

“I know, I know. You know I have to give you shit about it, right?”

“Yeah, well, we already got it from J’onn…”

“Ah, yes, I can’t imagine the big stick in the mud over at the Department of Extralegal Operations was all too pleased with the show.”

“Extranormal Operations,” Alex corrected before burying her face in her hands once more. There were certain things—no matter how obviously staged and faked—in her life that J’onn had really never needed to see.

“Both sound true to me…”

“Play nice,” Maggie warned Kate. “Now, did you manage to find anything else about any of those projects?” J’onn had been intensely interested in Project Proteus—a fact that seemed to make quite a bit of sense to Alex, though Maggie was left feeling slightly confused by their rapid-fire conversation conducted in what sounded like some kind of shorthand developed over years of working closely together.

“We think there’s something more to Project Hydra that you’re not being told.”

“Sam’s keeping it from us?” Maggie asked.

Alex leaned in once more. “No, I don’t think she knows much more than we do—at least about that one.”

“I have to agree with Alex,” Kate admitted. “Studying the feed and her body language and speech patterns, it really looks like she’s just as uncomfortable with the project as Alex is. And, all things considered, I doubt it’s squeamishness.”

Considering the aims of the other projects, Maggie found herself agreeing. “But why bring it to Alex at all?”

Kate shrugged. “You’re certainly not the only two being watched, and I can only assume reporting to Lillian might be even worse than answering to Sam on occasion.” 

“And I guess by giving me the choice of projects, she made sure that she could tell Lillian I had all the information but was simply opting to start with a different one.”

“Any thoughts on why?” Maggie asked.

“Well, they said living host, but I think, based on the numbers we could see in the video, they meant living human hosts.”

“So she’s trying to find a way to kill humans with microbes?” Maggie shuddered, wondering if there would be ways to drop the microbe into food or water and rapidly disseminate it.

“I don’t think it had to do with killing,” Alex cut in. “They wanted it to reproduce and live long enough to colonize its host. If it was just going in to kill right away, they could inject it with some kind poison and not care about how long it lasted.”

“So you think it’s something more insidious?” Kate asked. 

“I think so. Colonizing a host sounds like…like mind control or something. Maybe a way to kill someone from a distance if there were a way to trigger it.”

“Maybe Hydra isn’t for random civilians.” Alex turned to look at Maggie, and Kate remained quiet, waiting for her to elaborate. “Maybe it’s for her own agents—make sure they’re staying on task, have certain ways of keeping them in line.”

“That would explain why Sam’s body language read as particularly tense when she brought up that project,” Kate mused. From what she’d heard about the anti-alien rally, Sam hadn’t had any qualms about sending off hordes of civilians with weaponry to kill and be killed in a senseless attack, so the idea that she would suddenly be concerned about more or less indiscriminately killing off humans seemed unlikely. 

“Think there’s dissent in the ranks? That could make things easier.” Alex wondered if Sam had confirmation that this project was for control of Cadmus agents or just had her suspicions. 

“It’s worth keeping an ear to the ground, trying to figure out if Sam and her people are planning anything.”

“I’ll listen to the tapes while you’re at work.”

“Oh fuck, I’m gonna be late!” After yelling a quick goodbye to Kate, Alex took off for the bedroom, changing her shirt and grabbing her helmet and bag before bolting for the door.

\---

By the time the bar was closing down, Alex was exhausted. After a near sprint on her bike up the final hill, she’d wanted nothing more than to take a few minutes for herself to stretch and grab a large glass of water as she stopped sweating and her fingers and toes defrosted after the much too cold wind—an odd and beyond uncomfortable mixture of sensations. But no, instead the bar was understaffed and busy as hell for a weekday, and she couldn’t find it within herself to ask for a couple of minutes when Waverly was running orders, manning the bar, and somehow washing dishes all by herself. So she’d thrown herself right into the crowd, taking over the bar and helping to run orders out when the bar quieted enough to allow her a few extra moments’ peace. 

“What the hell is with the crowd?” Alex hissed when Waverly slumped down against the bar next to her, the crowds finally quieting. 

“First big rivalry game of the season,” Waverly answered, as though it were completely obvious. When Alex just stared blankly at her, Waverly clarified, “NCU vs. Metropolis. You really didn’t know?”

“I…sports aren’t really my thing.”

“That’s pretty obvious, Cat,” Waverly snorted. 

“I take it you’re a fan?”

“You don’t get to be head cheerleader without knowing a thing or two about the team.” 

Alex felt her brain short circuit at that image—no, nope, no need to fall for another coworker, definitely shouldn’t picture those things ever at all. Forcing herself back into the present, Alex nodded. “Right, yeah, right. Makes sense. Um, I’m gonna go get started on those dishes.”

“They’re already done,” Waverly called out, her voice dropping off by the end when she realized that Cat was already out of sight. She’d figure it out soon enough. 

Eventually Alex made her way back to the front after taking a few minutes to clear her head and check her phone—a text from Maggie serving as a nice reminder of exactly who was waiting for her at home, until the end of the mission, at least. “How’s it going?”

“Not bad. Game’s ending now, and unless we somehow pull a win out from nowhere, there won’t be any post-game celebrations to deal with. Probably just a last call, then we can kick everyone out.”

Alex nodded, watching as dejected fans started gathering their coats and finishing their drinks. A few ambled up to the bar, requesting a final beer or shot to dull the pain of losing to their rivals. Once Waverly had finally shooed them all out of the bar, they split up the tasks, Waverly going to the back to take care of dishes and counting the register, while Alex dealt with cleaning the bar and the tables and mopping the sticky floor. 

As she bitched to herself about just how much drunk people managed to spill and drop, having to bend over to pick up what felt like the twentieth half-eaten chicken wing of the night—something that absolutely did not get less gross with practice—Alex heard a loud scuffle coming from the back. She raced past the bar and through the door leading to the kitchen, following the sounds of muffled cries and grunts to the back hallway, where she found Waverly getting in one last hit with the butt of that old rifle she pulled out every now and again when it looked like a bar brawl was about to break out. 

“And there’ll be so much more of that if you ever try to steal from my people again you—you—thief person!” 

Alex couldn’t help a snort at that.

“Cat?” Waverly whipped her head around, keeping one knee pressed firmly against the would-be-criminal’s back.

“Hey, I heard what sounded like a fight. Thought you might be in trouble but…” she gestured at the scene, “I guess you’ve got it covered.”

“Not just head cheerleader and the most popular person in town.” Waverly grinned as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. 

“Yeah, I can, uh, see that.” Alex tried not to dwell on the fact that Waverly had just gotten about a thousand times more attractive. 

“Caught him trying to break into your locker,” Waverly added, “so if you want the privilege of getting a hit or two in, be my guest.”

Alex’s jaw clenched when Waverly forced the man to sit up; she didn’t know him well, but she’d seen him sitting with Victor and Sam more than a few times. A chill ran through her at the idea that Cadmus was growing suspicious. She wondered if Sam had seen something when she dropped in for her surprise visit the other day. 

“What the fuck, man?” Alex snapped, schooling her face into one of annoyance but not fear. “You some kind of pervert or something? Looking for pictures of my girl?”

“What? No! Never!” This was supposed to be an easy little mission to prove himself to Sam: jimmy the lock, take a picture, get out. Instead he found himself covered in bruises that felt like they wouldn’t be going away for weeks, cowering in front of Cat herself. 

“I’ve seen the way you look at her,” Alex growled. In fact, she only remembered seeing them interact once or twice. “You stay the fuck away if you know what’s good for you.”

“Yeah—yeah, okay,” he squeaked, pulling himself to his feet. His eyes darted around the room, clearly looking for an exit.

“You done with him?” Waverly asked. Alex couldn’t quite get a read on the expression Waverly was giving her.

“Uh, yeah. But if I ever see you around here again, Waverly and her gun will be the least of your problems.”

He nodded quickly before scurrying off.

“Thanks,” Alex mumbled, pulling open her locker and making sure her stuff was still there.

“Anytime, Cat. I meant it when I said I was here for you.”

“Appreciate it.” Waverly tapped her foot against the ground, waiting for Cat to finish with her locker. Finally she stood up, bag slung across her shoulders. “Just need to finish mopping, then I’ll be out of here.”

“What if you tell me what’s really going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean why don’t you tell me about what’s going on with all of your Cadmus friends.”

“How do you know that?” Alex had a hand in her bag to call for backup almost instantly.

“There’s footage of all of you together at the rally, Cat. And, in case you’ve already forgotten, my girlfriend’s a cop. She knows what goes on around here.”

“You already knew I didn’t support aliens. Why’s this some big surprise?”

“Oh, your being involved with a terrorist anti-alien organization? Now, see, that one was disappointing, but not too surprising.” Alex pursed her lips. “But realizing that you were bugging them…well that came as a surprise. And it looks like they’re trying to do it right back to you.”

Alex slapped a hand over Waverly’s mouth. “Who are you?” Before letting Waverly respond, Alex had her phone out, sending an SOS text to Maggie. 

Alex could feel Waverly’s mouth moving against her hand, but the sound was far too muffled for her to catch anything. “Not in here,” Alex finally growled. She forced Waverly to the back door, locking up behind them even as she kept her hand across Waverly’s mouth, her elbow locked to keep her in place should she try to run.

Before Alex could decide on how she was about to get Waverly somewhere relatively secluded to interrogate her, Alex heard the sound of gun’s safety being clicked off.

“Get your hands off of her.”

Fuck. Of course Nicole would be here. Alex wished she had brought her gun with her. As it stood now, she only had a human shield, and she wasn’t about to sink to true Cadmus levels.

“Nicole, it’s not what you think. Put the gun down, and no one gets hurt.”

“I know what you are,” Nicole spat, advancing forward a step or two, her gun still raised and pointed at Cat. 

Alex hissed as Waverly bit down hard on her finger, and loosened her hold just enough for Waverly to break free when Waverly sent the hard heel of her boots swinging back straight into Alex’s shin. “Fucking hell.”

“Cat Sullivan, you’re under arrest for attempted kidnapping,” Nicole growled, quickly advancing on the woman now that Waverly was out of harm’s way. “Hands where I can see them.” 

Alex complied, wondering how high her bail would be set for trying to kidnap an officer’s girlfriend. 

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” Nicole spun Cat around, pushing her up against the wall of the bar as she cuffed her. “You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?”

“Yes,” Alex gritted out through clenched teeth.

“I can’t hear you. Wanna try again?” 

Alex had never heard Nicole sound quite so threatening.

“Babe,” Waverly whispered, tapping on Nicole’s shoulder. “It wasn’t quite kidnapping.”

“What? Not now.”

“No! Remember that thing—the thing we talked about?” Waverly asked, arching an eyebrow and hoping Nicole would catch her meaning.

“Uh, yeah. But, baby, this really doesn’t seem like the right time.”

“Just listen to me—we were right. She freaked out when I mentioned it.”

“Waves! I told you to wait for backup!”

“I’m not some kid, god. I’m not going through that again.”

“Yeah, and I’m not gonna be left out again, either.”

“Still here,” Alex grumbled, the cold, rough concrete of the wall digging into her cheek.

“And who keeps calling you?” Nicole snapped, feeling the vibration Cat’s Alex’s phone against her hip once more.

“Who’s to say it’s a phone?” Alex taunted.

Nicole pulled the phone out of Cat’s back pocket. “I am.” She looked at the screen, and Alex prayed Maggie hadn’t said anything that would give them away. “So your girlfriend’s on her way. Wants to know if she should bring back up.”

Alex glared but kept her mouth shut.

“I have to wonder if she knows she’ll be arrested for abetting a criminal in attempted kidnapping.”

Alex remained silent. She’d been through interrogations much worse than this before—interrogations that started with a hard slap to the cheek and ended only when she lost consciousness.

“What if they know something that could help your investigation?” Waverly whispered, eying Cat. 

“Well they can talk from the back of the police cruiser.”

The rev of an engine pulling up behind the bar drew their attention, and Maggie threw herself out of the car, phone in hand and knife tucked into her sleeve. “What’s going on here?” she yelled, noting Alex’s cuffed hands.

“Your girlfriend’s under arrest for attempting kidnapping. And you, Maria Sterling, are under arrest too.”

“For what?”

“Aiding and abetting.”

“That’s a bullshit charge.”

“Then you can get it cleared in the morning. But you’re spending tonight in jail.”

Maggie debated trying to disarm Nicole before grabbing Alex and making a run for it, but she figured being on the lam wouldn’t exactly make running a legitimate business in Metropolis too easy. “I’m calling my lawyer.”

“Can you all just wait?” Waverly cried out, her voice tight with exasperation. Everyone turned to stare at her, and she managed a smile. “Just…let’s get in the car to talk where it might be safe. I think there’s more going on here that we won’t know if Maria and Cat are in jail.”

“My car,” Maggie insisted.

“Not a chance in hell,” Nicole said.

“What if we keep Cat in cuffs and I get to drive. They can’t kidnap us if I’m the one driving,” Waverly pointed out.

Eventually everyone relented, though no one seemed particularly pleased with the outcome. Nicole loaded the handcuffed Cat into the front seat, while she forced Maria into the back, keeping her gun out and pointed at her in case she got any ideas.

Figuring they were as settled as they could be, Waverly took off, driving in slow laps around the city. “Here’s what we know,” she began. “Cat and Maria are part of Cadmus.” Maggie began to protest, but Waverly spoke over her. “Sam and Victor are local Cadmus leaders—Nicole’s been investigating them for ages.”

“Fine,” Maggie relented. It wasn’t good to be a known member of a terrorist organization, but at least their covers were still intact.

“But Cat bugged their table months ago. She’s the only one that willingly goes near them, and I found a bug under the table while I was cleaning just a couple of weeks after she started at the bar.”

“You can’t say that with certainty,” Alex interjected. 

“No…but it seems like a lot to be a coincidence,” Waverly shrugged, her voice light for such a tense situation. “Now, I brought Nicole in to see it one night.”

“Waves, stop,” Nicole hissed.

“No, they should know how much we already know. Maybe they’ll help us.”

“And if they don’t?” Nicole shot a pointed look at their two could-be prisoners.

“I’m sure Wynonna could be persuaded to come back to town and lend a hand if the problem gets out of control.” Nicole just rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you’ve got some pretty fancy tech for a bartender, then we caught you on the back camera listening in on headphones once or twice.”

“I was listening to music on my break.”

“Mm, but you weren’t.” Waverly looked far too pleased with herself. “I checked.”

Maggie wondered at what point she needed to call for backup. It would be hard to make two prominent members of the community disappear, but she’d had to deal with worse before. 

“But then Lillian Luthor rolled into town.”

“Confidential, babe,” Nicole hissed.

“If they work for her, they already know!” Waverly turned her attention back to the road in time to brake for a red light. “But she comes back, and suddenly one of your ‘friends’ is breaking into your locker with a camera out. So I’ve gotta think that not everything’s so peaceful in paradise right about now.”

“What?” Maggie asked, but Alex just shook her head. 

“And as soon as I pointed all this out to Cat, well, I got a little bit kidnapped—nothing I couldn’t have stopped, of course. But that all seems to confirm that something hinky’s going on.”

“If you cooperate, I might just forget about the kidnapping,” Nicole added, figuring she might as well back up her girlfriend. “So what’s it gonna be?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It looks like there'll be about 5 more chapters left, unless I end up having to make a chapter or two shorter with some early December deadlines and the holidays coming up, in which case maybe one or two more...


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more WayHaught, catching up with Sam again, and smut to round out the chapter - so, yes, NSFW, and CW on some mentions of violence

Alex turned back around and made eye contact with Maggie, hoping she’d be on the same page but knowing that Waverly and Nicole weren’t about to give them time to get their stories straight. “Fine,” Alex relented. “I started following Cadmus when they were back in National City—thought that maybe they had the right idea. After all, a lot of people get hurt once aliens are involved.” She took a deep breath and kept going when it became clear that Nicole was willing to listen without turning it into an interrogation—at least for now. “Their methods were…not what I expected. For a group that was committed to stopping unnecessary deaths, they sure hurt a lot of people.”

Waverly snorted as Nicole breathed out, “Quite the understatement.” She’d been following Cadmus long enough to be absolutely disgusted by their way of doing business. “So what? You decided to get more involved even after you found out just how evil they were?”

“The more involved I was, the more I could learn about them, maybe find something I could use to stop them from the inside.”

Nicole didn’t say anything, not wanting to give Cat the satisfaction of learning that Nicole hadn’t been able to find proof of the woman doing much more than associating with the active Cadmus agents. 

“So how did Maria get involved in all this?” Waverly asked, gesturing to the backseat as she looked at Cat before turning her attention to the road once more. 

“Cause Maria’s done a lot more than just observe,” Nicole chimed in. “I know there are money trails connecting you to them.”

Maggie just shrugged, figuring it was better to let Alex keep going for now, help keep their narrative smooth. 

“We met at an event—an alien fight club,” Alex admitted, hoping the incriminating detail would push Nicole closer toward believing them. “I—well, I didn’t really know what to expect when I got there; it was a surprise. Anyhow, I met Maria there. She was new to town and caught my eye right away. I mean, look at her. How could anyone not fall for her?” 

Maggie bit her lip and Waverly let out a small “aww” before clamping her mouth shut, remembering that Cat had still kind of tried to kidnap her. 

“I didn’t—I think that was kind of the last straw for me—with Cadmus, I mean. Seeing them treat aliens like…god, like playthings.” Alex shuddered involuntarily at the memories. “And I couldn’t help but notice that Maria seemed to feel the same way. For a while I thought maybe it was just wishful thinking. Maybe I just wanted her to be less awful than the rest of them, you know? So that I could justify the way I felt about her.” She wondered if Maggie could tell just how much of this story was true.

“It took a bit to open up,” Maggie chimed in, her voice thick with emotion. Sure, it wasn’t the right time or place, but hearing Alex talk about her like that? Hearing that Alex felt the same way about her during the build up? It made her feel just a little better. “But eventually we realized that we had both come to find Cadmus’ methods…less than acceptable.”

“So what are you saying?” Nicole snapped. She wasn’t here for a lesbian love story, no matter how touching of a movie it might make. 

“I’m saying that we’re investigating them just as much as you are—trying to find out what they’re doing to expose them.”

“And stop them,” Alex added. “I mean, I don’t have the kind of money or connections Maria does, but I can fuck up their little science experiments.” 

“Clearly you haven’t been sneaky enough,” Waverly said. “Guy in your locker and all that.”

Forcing herself to look unconcerned, Maggie shrugged. “Cadmus operates in secrecy. Everyone’s suspicious of everyone. It makes sense that they’d want to check in, especially as we’re being allowed more access.”

“And you, Cat? What do you think?” Nicole asked.

“I think Lillian is…a threat. A lot worse than Sam or Victor. Sam cares about Tasha, and Victor cares about—well, about himself, but it’s something; he has a reason to want to live, not to end up on suicide missions or get himself thrown in jail. But Lillian…” Alex barely repressed the shiver they went down her spine. “Lillian doesn’t have limits. She has money and resources, and she thinks of her people as disposable. And I think if we cross her, it won’t matter just how much Sam and Victor trusted us.”

“All of which is to say,” Maggie cut in, her voice low and threatening, “if we find out that word somehow leaked, that some police officer named us as good guys, then Waverly’s possible kidnapping will be the least of your worries.”

As much as Alex knew that the threats were part of the act, that Maggie would just as soon hurt the people fighting the good fight as she would fall in line with Cadmus in earnest, she couldn’t help the way her stomach swooped at the deep growl of Maggie’s threats, at the way Maggie’s gaze had found hers or the way her fingers had brushed against her arm at her words, as if to remind herself exactly who she was fighting to protect. 

“Threating an officer of the law? Really?” Nicole asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. “God, it’s like Wynonna 2.0.”

“Hey, eventually you liked her,” Waverly pouted. 

“Well these two aren’t related to you, so I don’t have to like them.”

“But if they’re on our side…”

“We still don’t have proof.”

“What if I can show you proof that I’m designing a protective system for Superman to keep him from being affected by the synthetic kryptonite they’re developing,” Alex offered, the switch to Superman a last minute decision to keep a safe distance from her real identity. 

Nicole and Waverly both paused for a moment. 

Before they could respond, Alex pressed on: “But in exchange for that proof, you keep the cops off of our tail. And you let us know if anyone new shows up with Cadmus at the bar when I’m not in.”

“Deal,” Waverly said, smiling apologetically when Nicole hissed, “Waves!”

“Fine,” Nicole relented. “But you have to give me advance notice if you hear of any Cadmus attacks.”

“Deal,” Maggie agreed, reaching out a hand to shake on it with Nicole. After what happened last time, she had no desire to bear the guilt for a second slaughter of innocent alien life, no matter how many unnecessary deaths Superman was able to prevent in the end. 

“But I want proof first.”

“Yes, yes, Officer.” Maggie sighed. “Cat, is your stuff at my place?”

“Yeah. But we can’t be sure that no one’s watching the building. Nicole’s still a cop, and god knows that little shit from Cadmus went running back to whichever asshole sent him to break into my locker, so they’ll probably want eyes on me and Waverly too.” She knew there were already plenty of pictures on Facebook of her and Waverly hanging out, sometimes with Nicole, especially from her first month in town, but it didn't mean that Sam would like the idea of it. 

“We could look like…friends.” Maggie seemed to stumble over the word, like the very idea was distasteful to her—and, given the gun, now lowered but still pointed in her direction, it sort of was. 

“But that means I get out of the cuffs,” Alex said.

“And that one puts her gun away.”

Eventually Nicole relented, holstering her gun and removing Cat's cuffs, and Waverly turned to Cat for directions to Maria’s place, whistling when she realized just how nice the neighborhood was. “Damn…this is fancy.”

“Imagine how much nicer it could be if you weren’t donating half your yearly salary to Cadmus,” Nicole remarked snidely as she slid out of the backseat.

“Be nice,” Waverly reminded her girlfriend before hopping out herself, plastering her signature cheerleading smile on her face as she linked arms with Cat. “Can’t wait to see the place!”

Alex just nodded as she followed Maggie into the lobby and through security, dropping Waverly’s arm only once they made it to their door. 

“Wait for a minute,” Maggie instructed Nicole, who was hot on her heels as she undid the lock.

“Why? So you can hide evidence of your crimes?”

“No, so I can put away our sex toys,” Maggie snapped, causing Alex to blush a deep shade of red. 

Even though Maggie was positive there was no evidence of their ties to other organizations or real identities left out—they knew better than to make such a rookie mistake—she wanted to snap on a few of their cameras and recorders to have evidence of this meeting. She’d been “arrested” by local cops before on undercover missions, and more than once they’d turned out dirty. Just because Waverly seemed perfectly sweet and had apparently stood up to Alex’s initial background checks when she first started at the bar didn’t mean her girlfriend would be.

“Glad the terrorism hasn’t put a damper on things,” Waverly whispered, biting at her lower lip in a teasing smile as she sent an exaggerated wink in Cat’s direction. 

Maggie slipped in the door, leaving Alex out with the couple as she flicked on a few devices before rushing back to the front door. “All clean now.”

Shuffling in, Alex walked over to the section of the home office she’d claimed as her own and pulled out the research on the synthetic kryptonite, as well as her own notes, bringing them over to Waverly and Nicole in the kitchen. “Here.”

They flipped through the pages, looking mildly horrified at the descriptions of what exactly the compound would do to Kryptonians when it was perfected, then puzzling over Cat’s notes. “If we could just send a bit of this to Jeremy…”

“No,” Alex nearly growled, snatching the binder back. “We said you two could see. I’m not putting our lives on the line so that your friend can join in your little game of playing hero cops.”

Waverly rolled her eyes. “You know he might be able to help. He’s pretty much a genius with synthetic compounds, and he’s got plenty of his own experience with evil organizations…”

“I’m sure he’s smart, but I’m putting my money on Cat’s being smarter,” Maggie said, stepping forward and crossing her arms. 

“Fine,” Nicole huffed. She might not have understood it all, but at least she had seen notes of Cat’s tests, seen descriptions of where the materials failed. And if nothing else, she knew where they lived, knew the project name, and knew that the two women were clearly each other’s weakness to be exploited if it turned out they were lying. 

“So…truce?” Waverly asked, looking hopeful despite the mistrustful glares.

“Truce,” Alex agreed. “And you’ll keep an eye out for them at the bar?”

“I can do you one better and investigate myself.”

“No!” Alex barked back.

“C’mon, I can be sneaky.”

“Waves, I don’t want you getting hurt.” Nicole turned to Waverly and took her hands in her own, a pleading look in her eyes.

“You know I can more than handle myself in a fight.”

Alex couldn’t disagree there, and it looked like Nicole was willing to concede that much too, but she couldn't put another innocent life on the line, and she found herself grateful when Nicole pushed back. “Cadmus doesn’t fight fair. It wouldn’t be you up against one or two people, it would be you up against...I don’t know, Lillian Luthor and a bazooka!” 

“I’m just saying…”

“If I ever need them distracted, I’ll be sure to call,” Alex finally relented. “But I do have to agree with Nicole—Cadmus won’t fight fair. And I don’t want you getting hurt over something you didn’t sign up for on your own.”

Waverly looked ready to fight her on it, but then seemed to give in. “For now.”

\---

Across town, Sam sunk down into her desk chair, dropping her head into her hands and groaning. How she continued to deal with such incompetence was truly astounding. Breaking into a locker to take a picture should have been the easiest of tasks, yet somehow Brendan, one of her newest buffoons, had managed to get himself caught, beaten up, and found by Cat herself—and no picture to show for it, only his fervent assurances that the only things in there were a jacket, a bike helmet, and a bag with a wallet, keys, headphones, and granola bar. Of course, she’d still texted Lillian that she had continued investigating Cat with no proof of her being anything other than the loyal Cadmus scientist she promised to be, even though Brendan had a new black eye for his failures. 

A knock at the front door startled her from her musings, and she crept along the wall hidden from sight down the stairs, clicking off the safety of her gun before peering through the peephole. 

“What are you doing here?” Sam asked, her heart still thudding painfully fast as she opened the door wide enough for Tasha to come inside.

“I got a note from Lillian that seemed more like it was meant for you.”

Narrowing her eyes, Sam snatched the envelope from Tasha’s outstretched hand, noting the thick cardstock with a blood red seal stamped in the corner as she skimmed the contents of it. Her harsh intake of breath drew Tasha’s attention, even though she tried to hide the trembling of her hand as she stuffed the note into her pocket, muttering about inconsequential things. 

“What is it?” Tasha demanded. It was one thing to be left out of high-level Cadmus discussions; she knew she hadn’t earned her place there yet, and wasn’t convinced that she ever cared to make that much of an effort. But when things had to do with her, or with her and Sam, it was different, and she’d be damned if Sam thought she would just sit back and accept her flimsy excuses and waved off dismissals again.

“It’s nothing, dear. Just go home—run along.”

“I can feel you pushing me away again, Sam. Don’t do it. Don’t do that to us.”

“If you think I’m pulling away, then just leave,” Sam snipped, trying to force Tasha out the door.

“No.” Tasha elbowed her way back through and slammed the door behind her. Sam might have been in the military longer, but she’d been in it more recently, and if it came down to a physical fight, she didn’t think she’d lose.

“Tasha, get out.”

“Talk to me.”

“It doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh really? A black SUV trailing me for four miles to my home before cornering me just to hand off an envelope doesn’t concern me?”

The growl that rumbled forth from Sam’s chest was low and nearly inhuman. “It shouldn’t concern you. And you’d be safer if you left now.” 

With Sam talking, Tasha wasn’t about to back off; this was the closest she’d gotten to some measure of the truth since they were sent to Metropolis together. “Why is Jocelyn’s name crossed out and mine written there?”

“Because Lillian wants you to know you’re disposable,” Sam answered, the half-truth slipping easily from her lips. She found herself impressed by the relatively staid quality of her tone. Apparently spending enough time around Lillian and her ilk really did make one more calloused. 

“That’s nothing new. You don’t send a personal driver out to send the same message we’ve been getting since the very first day we joined. Who’s Jocelyn?”

“She was involved with Cadmus as well. Years ago.”

“No, no. Who’s Jocelyn—to you?”

“She was…we were close.”

“Sam, I know you well enough to know when I’m not getting the whole truth.”

“She was my wife.”

Trying to keep the shock off of her face, Tasha nodded slowly, processing the information. “So what? Lillian wants to make me jealous?”

“The note wasn’t meant for you,” Sam growled. “It’s a reminder to me—a reminder about why I’m here.” 

“So why are you here?”

“I think that’s enough questions for tonight.”

Tasha made to keep talking, but Sam surged forward, silencing her with a bruising kiss as she threw her up against the front door, pulling the chain lock closed behind them. Desperately attempting to quiet her spiraling thoughts, Sam pushed past the button of Tasha’s pants, focusing on the hitch in her breathing, the way she seemed to growl at the rough touches, grabbing at Sam’s wrist to hold her there, keep her from turning it into some kind of teasing game—as if Sam were in the mood for anything but bold, decisive gestures tonight. 

Even with the wet heat of Tasha surrounding her, images of Jocelyn’s smiling face kept intruding on her thoughts, followed closely by the sound of gunfire and explosions, then Tasha’s lifeless body—no. No, not now. Not when someone else was here, someone whose body still thrummed with life, someone who was still alive, who needed to be kept alive, was gasping in her ear and coming under her touch. 

It wasn’t enough; she needed more, needed proof that Tasha was here, alive, with her. She hoisted her up into her arms, carrying her up the stairs and into the bedroom. Snippets of the letter curled in her thoughts, dancing across her line of vision as she screwed her eyes shut. She heard Lillian’s voice from five years ago but still echoing in her thoughts like it was just yesterday telling her that Superman had done it—had killed a human, her human, had crushed her until her frail human body gave out—heard Lillian telling her they’d have their revenge, felt Lillian holding her close, the last human touch she’d allowed herself for years. But in the same ragged breath, her thoughts spun rapidly back to Tasha’s body—to the signs of a death that looked nothing like Superman’s devastation, to a body that seemed to whole and clean, as if destroyed from the inside out by a technology far more advanced than super-strength and heat vision. 

Tasha’s whimpering cry brought her back into the moment, and she dropped her head forward, capturing her lips and swallowing her moans as she felt her flutter around her fingers once more. She was here now. She wouldn’t lose another one. Never again. And if that meant striking out on her own to get answers, so be it. 

\---

By the time Waverly and Nicole left and Alex and Maggie had swept the apartment for new bugs, then checked in with J’onn and Kate to let them know that their identities hadn’t been compromised per se, but were being…nuanced, it was already beyond late. 

“What happened to a quiet night?” Alex huffed, throwing herself down on the large bed.

“No such thing in our line of work.”

“True,” Alex sighed, reaching out for Maggie’s hand and guiding her down to the bed. “It’s nice having you here, though.” She looked up at Maggie through thick lashes, wondering if they were about to get just a little too close to conversations about feelings they’d been avoiding since the first weekend they got together. 

“You do make it easier,” Maggie admitted, resting her head on the pillows and curling an arm around Alex. “It’s not…I never had that much of an issue with the lying and pretending to be someone I wasn’t. Not like I had a lot waiting for me at home. Plus, I was bringing down the bad guys, right?”

Alex murmured her agreement, lacing her fingers together with Maggie’s. 

“But having you with me—having someone I trust? I didn’t think it would matter. We’re both still lying all day to everyone else. But having these nights together, it really, really helps.”

“Yeah. And it’s not just for the work. Like, okay, yeah, listening to hours of tapes sucks way less when we’re throwing popcorn at each other.”

“Or fucking…” Maggie trailed off, fluttering her eyelashes as though she had made some demure suggestion.

“Yes, or that. But just being able to be open with someone, to come home to someone and feel”—Alex hesitated; she felt loved, but she suspected she shouldn’t say it just yet—“and feel cared for, it makes this life a little less lonely.” 

Wanting to agree and add so much more but not having the words, Maggie sought Alex’s mouth out with her lips, claiming them in a heated kiss as her hands trailed up and down her sides. Eventually she dropped her mouth, letting her lips and teeth trail across Alex’s jaw and down her neck, sucking lightly until she heard Alex gasp, felt Alex’s fingers tangle in her hair and hold her close.

Whimpering, Alex bucked her hips into Maggie’s, sighing in relief as Maggie pulled back just enough to tug at Alex’s waistband. Alex lifted her hips obediently, then gestured at Maggie’s own sweatpants, grinning as she shucked them off and threw them to the side before joining her once more in the bed.

Lying side by side, Alex claimed Maggie’s lips once more, nipping and sucking at her bottom lip as want turned to need, arousal to desperation. Hearing Maggie’s resounding whimpers and moans as she slid one then two fingers inside of her, thrusting slowly to let Alex get used to the angle, Alex dropped her hand between Maggie’s legs, easily sliding inside a finger of her. 

As they rocked together, soft whimpers and sharp gasps filling the room, Alex found herself desperately trying to hold off her own orgasm, to wait for Maggie, to come with her, beside her. “What do you need?” Alex panted, pulling back slightly. 

Rather than use words, Maggie guided Alex’s free hand up to her chest, sighing in relief as Alex caught her meaning and began rolling and gently tugging at her nipples while her other hand resumed its measured pace, thrusting and curling inside of her in a way that left her feeling needy, hovering right on the edge. 

Neither could be certain who finally let go first, but they were soon coming together, crying out their release before falling into a sleepy embrace. Maggie ran her fingers up and down Alex’s back, holding her close to her chest until her breathing evened out and any lingering tension seemed to melt from her body. Maggie was half asleep—and almost completely certain that Alex already was asleep—when she heard the sleepily murmured, “Love you.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before you yell at me, I ask you to remember that my lesbians *always* live and typically get a rather happy ending.

“Excited to have two whole days off?” Maggie whispered, her fingers flitting beneath Alex’s sweater as she wrapped her arms around her. 

“You have no idea,” Alex sighed. “Just need to make it through tonight’s high school reunion madness at the bar, then you have me all day for Thanksgiving.”

“Now when you say have you…” Maggie’s voice dropped in time with her hands, feeling more than hearing the way Alex’s breath hitched as Maggie’s fingers skimmed beneath the waistband of her jeans. “In what way do you mean?”

“Whatever way you want me.” And god, how true it was. Alex couldn't tell if it was the impending holiday season or the way Maggie had been so supportive of her work, listening as she talked about her research, asking questions, holding her hand when thinking about some of these projects being put into action just got to be too much, but she couldn't help but feel like something had shifted between them over the past couple of weeks. Sure, she'd felt something building, like there were emotions creeping in that went beyond the comfort of having someone who understood and the overwhelming attraction that exploded into some of the best sex she'd ever had on a fairly regular basis. But this—this was new. This felt an awful lot like the kind of relationship worth fighting for, even if she knew it had an expiration date come the end of this assignment. 

“Across from me at the dinner table it is," Maggie teased, her laughter light and free as it rang through the air. She'd picked up ingredients to make mashed potatoes, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, and roasted veggies—everything they needed for a relatively stress-free, vegetarian-friendly Thanksgiving—and had plans to prepare everything while Alex was working at the bar that night, helping to make sure she didn't have any more work on her plate, though Alex volunteered to pick up a pie to bring home for dessert at the very least. Maggie had to admit, everything felt rather domestic, but unlike with Emily and the others, she found she didn't mind it—quite the opposite, in fact. She didn't dwell on the reasons for that change, though she found herself replaying Alex’s sleepily muttered confession in her mind before she fell asleep at night, when she let her thoughts wander in the shower, when they kissed goodbye and bit their lips and said nothing more than, "See you when you get home." 

“Tease.”

“Mm, but you lo—like it.”

“On occasion.”

“Tell that to my next door neighbors.”

“Hush, they could use a little nighttime entertainment.”

“Didn't know you were such an exhibitionist, dear.”

“Out of the lab," Alex declared, shooing Maggie toward the door. "You're distracting me.”

“Just gonna keep pointing out that I don't normally hear you complaining...”

Shaking her head, Alex laughed. “I’ve got work to do. You know I told Sam I would get her something before our long weekend. I just want all four days to be left alone with you—no Sam or Victor or even the bar.”

“Mm, it does sound rather delightful, doesn't it?”

“Curling up in sweatpants and watching old movies. Eating too much food and finding…inventive ways to work it off. Yeah, I think it sounds pretty amazing.”

With a nod, Maggie left Alex to her work. She'd found herself beyond impressed with just how driven Alex was, especially once she realized she would be able to bug the device at a structural level. The news that they might be able to eavesdrop on Lillian, get ears into the very heart of Cadmus, had left even J’onn and Kate celebrating together without sniping about their respective organizations—a true holiday miracle if Maggie had ever seen one. 

\---

Content with the results of her final round of testing, Alex sent a text to Sam letting her know that she would be able to get the prototype for Project Helios whenever she wanted it. The idea that they might finally fall one step ahead of Lillian, might finally get the jump on her instead of the other way around, left her exhilarated. After a quick stop by Maggie's office to give her a kiss goodbye and leave the prototype with her for Sam to pick up later that evening, Alex slung her bag over her shoulder, pulled on her gloves and helmet, and took off on her bike, shivering slightly at the brisk late autumn wind that whipped at her face as she turned into traffic. 

One short stop at an absurdly crowded bakery later, Alex had her pie and finally made her way down to the bar, groaning at the sight of the packed tables and long lines. It came as an unpleasant shock, even though she knew ahead of time just how crowded the bar would be with everyone back from college and their first years in new careers and eager to escape their families and the bedrooms that either felt like shrines to their high school selves or had been converted into workout rooms and home offices, the tiny twin-sized air mattress crammed into the corner the only reminder that someone was meant to sleep there for the next few days. 

"Cat!" Waverly called out to her, waving as she slung a round of beers down the bar. "Thank god you're here!" Nodding and waving back, Alex steeled herself for the night ahead.

Several long, taxing hours later, Alex and Waverly slumped down into one of the relatively clean booths. "That was insane. And who the hell was the chick that ended up taking shots on top of the bar?"

"Oh, Wynonna?"

“As in your big sister Wynonna?”

“The very one." Waverly bit at her lip and pushed her hair back from her face. "Sorry, I would've introduced you if we had a second—I kind of forget that there are people who don't know her yet. I'm sure she'll be by again before she leaves.”

“I'm sure,” Alex muttered, closing her eyes and imagining, just for a moment, that they didn't have at least half an hour of intensive cleaning in front of them. She was beyond grateful for the busboys in the back doing the dishes. If she still had to wash all those glasses… She shuddered at the thought.

“So, uh, how's, you know, everything," Waverly said with an exaggerated wink, "going for you and Maria?”

Gritting her teeth, Alex forced a smile. "Just fine, thanks.”

“Alright, well, you let Nicole and me know if you need any help."

“Mhm, of course." She had no intention of letting them any closer, but she tried to remember that Waverly was simply trying to be helpful, that she probably wasn't someone they needed to be particularly suspicious of, even if she and Nicole knew a bit more than she would have liked. 

Eventually they pulled themselves up, grumbling about having to be back on their feet once more, and split up the tasks, finishing sooner than Alex had expected, though much later than she would have liked in an ideal world. After all, she had a pie to deliver and a woman to snuggle. 

"Have a good night!" Alex yelled from the doorway, making sure Waverly was on her way out too. Just because she didn't necessarily want her working the case didn't mean that she didn't care about keeping her safe. Though after last week’s rather impressive display of physical strength, she supposed she didn’t have to worry too much about run of the mill intruders. Cadmus on the other hand…

Hustling to the door, Waverly took it from Alex, locking both the top and bottom and pulling it to check for good measure—things always got a bit crazy when everyone came back to town. "Happy Thanksgiving, Cat." 

"You too. Send my best to Nicole."

Waverly nodded and with a wave she was off. Alex pulled her hat down a little further in an attempt to ward off the chill she could already feel seeping under her clothing as she fumbled with her bike lock. Throwing her bag over her shoulder and making sure the pie was as close to secure as it would get strapped to her rear rack, she kicked off and began her ride back home. Even with temperatures that felt much closer to wintry weather than she would have liked, she couldn't help the giddy smile that spread across her face at the knowledge that she was heading home to Maggie, getting ready to spend a holiday weekend curled up together, a temporary reprieve from the anxiety of their work and the need to be constantly vigilant, constantly not themselves. 

Speeding down the hill and trying to focus on how nice it was not to be pedaling up it rather than on just how raw her face felt or the way her eyes watered painfully at the rush of cold wind, Alex barely noticed the driver's side door of the SUV parked on the side of the road fling open right in front of her, blocking the bike path. With only a moment's notice, the brakes barely even slowed her down before she went crashing into the inside of the door, bracing herself for the impact as her helmet slammed into the window and her body fell sideways, leaving her halfway inside the car. 

"What the fuck!" Alex spat, anger rising quickly from somewhere deep inside of her. All she wanted was to get home to Maggie, to have one fucking day off. "Fucking look before you open the goddam door!" Alex yelled, finally managing to pull herself out of the vehicle and up onto legs that trembled with adrenaline and shock. "Sam?"

"Mm, sorry dear." She didn't sound sorry, and as she stepped out of the car and shoved a still shaken and confused Alex into the backseat, she definitely didn't look upset. "Need to borrow you for a moment."

"My bike! My pie!" Alex stammered uselessly, her head spinning and her thoughts fuzzy as she tried to figure out what exactly was going on. When Sam hit the gas and the engine roared to life, however, Alex snapped into focus. "Where the fuck are you taking me?" She scrambled for her bag, which Sam had thrown up into the front seat, before finding herself pushed back with an elbow to the chest.

"I need you to stay calm. You may come up to the front seat if you promise to behave."

"What. Is. Going. On." Alex asked, her voice firm and steely, even as her heart raced. 

“I need you to help me with something in your lab.”

“Then come by during the day like a normal human," Alex huffed.

"”No one else can know."

“Why?"

Ignoring Cat's question, Sam regarded her in the rearview mirror. "Lillian was impressed by Project Helios."

“Great."

“You don't sound enthusiastic."

“I've just been kidnapped."

“Oh, Cat, don't be so dramatic. You're being borrowed for a few hours."

“Against my will."

“It's not as though you're being held at gunpoint."

“Ah yes, just thrown into a car door and shoved into your backseat. Definitely consensual."

“Lillian is ready for you to get started on the next project."

“Are you fucking kidding me? Is all this about a fucking project? I have a life! You people aren’t paying me!"

“Oh, but now that phase one can be completed, Lillian's happy enough to start bringing people on at a...higher level."

"What's phase one?" Alex asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Surely a defensive measure couldn't constitute an entire phase of an operation.

Sam waved off the question. "You sound suspicious."

"What? No."

"Are you sure? You certainly wouldn't be the first to...question her methods." 

“Jesus fucking christ, I’ve more than proven myself to the fucking cause,” Alex growled, sick and tired of the sheer amount of effort she was being forced to put into joining a terrorist organization that wanted nothing more than to kill her baby sister and everyone like her.

“I’m not questioning your commitment, Cat. Merely…wondering if you have thoughts about Lillian.”

Alex thought back to the recordings from Sam’s home, to the few bitter phrases thrown out before all she and Maggie could hear were the grunts and moans that left them both cringing. Figuring it was worth taking a chance when she was already kidnapped, Alex shrugged. “I’m not really working for her. I’m working for a cause.”

Hiding her smile, Sam nodded. “Mhm.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I like working with you, isn’t that enough?”

“How much would you say you like working with me?”

Figuring it was better to sound off base in a more innocent way than to guess wrong in a direction that could actually put her in trouble, Alex glared. “I’m perfectly happy with Maria, and we’re not open to adding a third.”

Sam’s bark of laughter echoed in the car, chilling Alex in a way that no amount of threats had. “Luckily I’m not asking.” 

“So what are you asking?”

“What are your thoughts on Project Hydra?”

Blinking rapidly, Alex tried to clear her thoughts; she suspected there was absolutely something she was missing—some hint as to what Sam was really getting at that her sleep-deprived and possibly mildly concussed brain wasn’t catching. She thought back to the brief conversations she’d had with Kate and J’onn, to the suspicions they’d had that Hydra might be for controlling Cadmus agents, rather than alien threats, and the way Sam had seemed less than enthusiastic when she first brought it to her. “I don’t know…seems odd that we’re looking for something for human hosts when the whole point is getting rid of aliens.” She hoped it sounded innocuous enough if Sam was only testing her loyalty. 

The look on Sam’s face suggested she had just passed the first test. “Yes, this earth is for the humans, isn’t it? And what are we doing if not making it better for humans?”

“Yeah, exactly.” The thought turned Alex’s stomach.

“It does seem…odd that Lillian would put so much time and effort into a project that really doesn’t further our ends.” 

Alex nodded in agreement, looking around in confusion when she realized that they were nearing the office. 

“I have something I’d like you to test—then I promise, you can go and enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend.”

“Maria’s going to want to know where I am.” Sure, she had left the bar earlier than she expected to, so Maggie wouldn’t actually be nervous just yet, but she would wonder if Alex didn’t text soon.

Parking the car a block away from Maria’s office, Sam grabbed Cat’s bag, fishing in the front pocket for a phone. “I’ll let her know you’re okay.”

Alex grimaced as Sam held out the phone for her to unlock in, knowing she wasn’t in a position to deny her request and risk looking suspicious. If Sam were planning a coup, she’d want to know that everyone on her side was perfectly loyal. She tried to think about what their last texts were; she knew they were smart enough not to use real names, but she just hoped there wasn’t anything that could ring alarm bells.

“Maria texted you several times,” Sam noted, scrolling through what felt like an endless reel of notifications, her brow furrowing. “They are…explicit.”

Alex had never felt quite so grateful to have been caught sexting. “Well if there’s pictures, you don’t get to look.”

“Yes, yes, the jealousy of young love.” Shaking her head, Sam texted, “Be a little late. Picking up something from the lab.”

Alex prayed that Maggie would know her well enough to know something was up—hell, prayed she’d know her well enough to know she’d never just ignore a string of messages she assumed were all about the many filthy things Maggie wanted to do to her the second she got home. 

Across town, Maggie furrowed her brows in confusion. Sure, she hadn’t expected the great American (erotic) novel in response, but she thought she might get a little something for telling Alex just how wet she was thinking about tasting her instead of a note with periods and all. And why the hell would she be going into the lab when she’d made such a point of wrapping up the project before she left? Clicking on the monitors, Maggie loaded the camera feeds, watching as Alex was led into the office, still wearing a helmet and her bike gear, Sam close behind her looking much too in control.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, but I'm back now! We're building up to the finale very soon now, so thanks for bearing with me!

After sending messages to both Kate and J’onn, telling them to turn on the lab feeds, Maggie grabbed her own computer and took off for the garage. With the audio from the lab filling her car, Maggie sped over to the lab and parking in a secluded back alley a few blocks away to pull up the video feed herself. As much as she wanted to go rushing into the lab, gun drawn and cuffs out, she knew enough to trust Alex, to wait and see what she did before she gave up their identities. 

\---

Sam paced across Cat’s lab, her mind working to process everything the other woman had revealed in her slightly incoherent rambling. Sure, there was some frustration with her methods—that much she had expected, though when Lillian had eyes in so many places, things couldn’t exactly be done in the normal way, like, say, issuing an invitation to Cat to join her at the lab. But there seemed to be a reluctance there to pledge allegiance to Lillian, even as the girl delivered useful products and stayed loyal to Cadmus as an organization. And that—well, that was exactly the kind of person Sam needed.

“I need you to tell me how this works,” Sam stated, handing over a petri dish. She looked expectantly over at Cat.

Alex arched an eyebrow at her. “It’s the middle of the night. You understand that tests take time, right?”

“What if I have some of the research that went into it? I need to know what this organism has been designed to do.”

“Can I assume this is Project Hydra?”

Sam regarded Cat silently for a long moment. “Yes.”

“So Lillian has other scientists working for her?”

A loud bark of laughter was the immediate reply. “What, you thought you were special? Thought you might be her only pet scientist?”

Alex bristled at that; she wasn’t exactly hoping to be Cadmus’ number one, but the idea that they had others working for them, working on those projects that Alex wouldn’t deign to touch, knowing there were some ethical boundaries that couldn’t be uncrossed, even for the goal of keeping her cover. “I don’t like redundancy. If I’m working on a project, I don’t want to find out that it’s just some little test to keep me busy. I have other things that could be better uses of my time.”

“Mm, I see a bit of time back in the lab has brought back your confidence.”

“Time in the lab. Someone who saw my potential. Either way—doesn’t change the fact that I know just how good I am.”

“Your work on Project Helios was impressive, I won’t deny it.”

“Good.”

“But you didn’t want to work on Project Hydra, so Lillian found someone else who did. And they’ve made progress.” Sam’s face remained an impassive mask even as she felt her stomach roil with the rage that had driven her out in her car in the middle of the night in the first place. 

“But you don’t trust their progress?”

Sam shrugged.

“Or is it that you don’t trust the project?” Alex asked, hoping she hadn’t pushed too far.

\---

Back in the car, Maggie had her gun tucked into the back of her jeans, ready to bolt to the building at the slightest sign that Sam thought Alex’s question went too far, strayed just a little too close into the “questioning Cadmus” territory. The tense silence seemed to last an eternity until the small, slightly pixelated version of Sam barely inclined her head. “I’d like to know the full extent of the project’s ends.” 

It was diplomatic, noncommittal, very Sam, Maggie thought. But it also seemed to show her hand in a way that they hadn’t gotten before. Sure, she might not have said outright that she didn’t trust the project. But she went far enough to admit that she wasn’t sure about it, needed more facts before she decided. And that crack in the façade of unwavering trust in Lillian and Cadmus was enough for Maggie to relax ever so slightly.

She sat back in her seat and watched as Sam produced a binder of research from her bag and handed it off to Alex before sitting on one of the lab stools, giving Alex time to read through the pages of notes. Even though Alex’s face was tilted away from the cameras, Maggie could just imagine the look of concentration she would have seen—the little furrow between her eyebrows, the tip of her tongue poking out from the corner of her mouth, the way she’d narrow her eyes in suspicion when some conclusion in the research was drawn without proper evidence. She watched as Alex grabbed for a pen and began scrawling notes to herself, and she wondered what exactly was going on in that brilliant head of hers.

When Alex finally looked up at Sam again, her expression was grim. “What do you want to know?”

“Same question as before, Cat. What are they trying to make it do?”

“Colonize a human host, though I think you already knew that.” Sam inclined her head and gestured for Alex to continue. “The scientist they found to work on this project selectively bred enough generations to get to a strain of the microbe in which longevity isn’t such an issue. They can breed and live long enough to thoroughly embed themselves in a test subject.” Maggie shuddered. She thought that had been the whole project, but it seemed like Alex was just getting started.

“And what does it do?” Sam asked.

“Well…at this point, not much. But they’re working on developing a plasmid that could be introduced with the microbe.”

Maggie was glad to see that phrase didn’t ring any bells for Sam either.

“I think it’s alien in origin. It’s normally harmless in humans. As is, it’ll stay inert, but they’re working with frequencies that could, I believe—don’t quote me on it, though—be played or transmitted to activate it remotely.”

“And what would that activation do?” Sam asked, her patience growing thin. 

“Up their reproduction rate exponentially.”

“Haven’t they already colonized the host?”

Alex shook her head, pushing her hair back from her face. “I don’t think you’re getting just how much higher these reproduction rates are. It wouldn’t be creating numbers high enough to colonize; it’d be enough to kill—and kill almost instantly.”

Repressing a shudder, Maggie watched for a reaction in Sam. The woman’s voice was tight when she finally spoke up, and her hands were clenched around the edge of the lab table. “Have they been successful?”

“Looking at these notes? Not yet.”

“Are they close?”

Alex shrugged. “Maybe.”

Sam nodded, more to herself than anyone else, then packed up her bag quickly and methodically. “Well, thank you for your help, Cat.”

“Yeah, uh, no problem…”

“I’m sure you understand the slightly unorthodox methods now, but I promise to make it up to you.”

“Oh, uh, it’s really fine,” Alex stammered, rather certain she had no desire for whatever reward Sam might dole out.

Sam waved off her concerns. “Can I assume you’ll be at Maria’s apartment tomorrow?”

Alex forced herself to nod.

“I’ll have it sent there, then.”

\---

Back in the car, Maggie called Kate as soon as Alex left with Sam to get a ride back to the apartment. She knew she couldn’t exactly tail them without risking being noticed, so she sat in the alley for a few extra minutes, fighting every instinct that told her to be close to Alex, to be there for her the moment she stepped through the front door.

“Did you see that?” Maggie asked as soon as the line picked up.

“I did,” Kate confirmed. “Think we have ourselves a Cadmus defector?”

“I think we at least have someone who might want to turn on Lillian. Did you get any more information about that Jocelyn woman?”

“I think we’ve uncovered a bit. We were able to find her full name from old marriage licenses, which led us to her death certificate. She was only 35—definitely not natural causes.”

“Shit. What killed her?”

“No autopsy was ever done.”

“How?”

“Enough money and influence can keep people from asking questions.” Maggie swore again. “We’re looking to see if we can’t find any evidence around what happened, but for now, that’s all we’ve got. Well, that and the fact that Sam got much more involved with Cadmus after Jocelyn’s death.”

“Think it was related, or was it just that she didn’t really have a life outside of Cadmus anymore?”

“Either? Both? We’re working on it.”

“Alright, well, keep me updated?”

“We will. And be safe—Project Hydra sounds nasty.”

“Always. Talk to you later, Kate.”

“Bye, Mags.”

\---

Once Maggie got a text from Alex telling her she was home safely, Maggie sped the last two blocks to the apartment and nearly threw herself into the elevator in her haste to get up from the parking garage. 

She bit her lip at the last second before calling out for Alex, just in case Sam was still around. “Babe?” she yelled instead.

“In here—it’s just me. Already swept for bugs.”

“Oh god, are you okay?” Maggie surged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Alex. 

Alex was fine; she had been through worse on the job, had certainly seen worse done to others. But with her head on Maggie’s shoulder and strong arms holding her close, she couldn’t quite hold back the shudder that ran through her, the small sob she quickly choked back at the idea that, had the circumstances been just slightly different, had she responded the wrong way, hell, had she been biking just a little faster, she might not ever have come home to Maggie.

“You’re good. I’ve got you,” Maggie whispered, her fingers carding through Alex’s hair as she felt the woman’s breathing even out once more. Once Alex seemed back to normal—or as normal as could be hoped for in the situation—Maggie led her into the kitchen and put on a pot of water to make tea. Over two steaming mugs of chamomile, they debriefed, talked about whether they might be able to use Sam to bring down Lillian, shuddered at the possibilities that Project Hydra held. 

“How’d you know to look?” Alex finally asked.

“I’m your partner, Danvers. I’ve always got your back.”

“Yeah…but as far as you were concerned I may as well have been at work.”

Looking sheepish, Maggie rubbed at the back of her neck. “Well, uh, normally I get a better reaction to my texts…”

Alex cackled. “Is it sad that my first reaction was: oh good, she’ll surely know that it’s not me texting if I don’t send something equally dirty in response, or at least a promise to make some of those wishes come true over the long weekend?”

“Just proves how in sync we are,” Maggie teased. “Now, what do you say we get to bed and try to have ourselves a quiet Thanksgiving together tomorrow? Just ignore Sam and Cadmus and the whole damn world for a little while.”

“I think that sounds perfect,” Alex answered honestly. “Oh shit. I lost the pie—Sam didn’t let me get it.” 

“Tragic, but I think we’ll live. What matters is that you’re here.”

“Getting soft on me, Sawyer?”

“Something about the holiday season, I suppose…”

\---

The next morning they woke up to a knock at the door. Immediately on alert, they edged their way into the living room, clad in baggy flannel pajama pants and oversized t-shirts and clutching knives and guns. They might have still been blinking sleep from their eyes, but thanks to years of training in less than ideal conditions, at least they would still be able to execute a well-coordinated attack if need be.

“Delivery!” came a man’s voice.

Tucking her gun behind her back, Alex cracked the door open slightly. “Hello?”

“I have an order for a Cat Sullivan from an S.W.”

Remembering the promise of something to make up for last night’s kidnapping, Alex pulled the door open a little wider—wide enough to see the rather gigantic box the man had with him. “That’s me.”

“Perfect. Can you sign for it?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Alex grabbed the pen and scrawled the messy signature she had decided Cat might have. “Shit, did you get a tip already? I can’t imagine it was easy to get that box up the stairs…”

The man laughed and dipped his head. “Your mysterious gift-giver paid very well to make sure that I got your delivery here on time. But thank you for the offer. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, Ms. Sullivan.”

“You too.”

Once he left, Maggie ran to get the scanners, looking relieved when it became clear that the boxes were clean. Alex pulled out a pair of scissors and ripped the smaller box open, laughing loudly at the sight of three pies from the nicest bakery in town that would last them at least a week or two. The larger box contained a brand new bike that Alex guessed cost a significant amount more than the used one she’d been forced to abandon on the side of the road. 

“Oh yeah… Where is your bike?” Maggie asked.

“I imagine mangled on the side of the road at this point.” The sight of Cat’s name drew Alex’s attention to a card that had been carefully taped to the corner of the bike box. 

“Thank you for your help last night. Happy Thanksgiving. We’ll be in touch soon enough.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some smut, some feels, some fluff, and some angst (in that order) - we're coming up on the end!

“Pass me another tire lever?” Alex called out from behind the new bike in her makeshift maintenance room. 

Silence.

“Maggie! Earth to Maggie. I need a tire lever.”

“Hmm?” Maggie hummed, shaking her head as Alex’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Those electric blue things next to you—can I have one?”

“Oh, sure!” 

“You know I’ve been asking for a while now, right?” Alex grumbled, prying the tire off of the wheel and spinning the wheels to check thoroughly for any trackers that might not have pinged their detection devices. 

“Sorry,” Maggie apologized, though she wasn’t particularly sorry. After all, this was a view she very much wanted to savor: Alex in a tank top, her hair pushed back from her face, her hands a little dirty, and her muscular arms on full display. 

“This one’s clean too,” Alex finally declared, putting a new inner tube on anyway, just to be safe. She sat back for a moment, taking a deep breath before attempting to wrangle the stiff tire back onto the wheel. 

“I’m gonna savor this moment for such a long time, Danvers,” Maggie mused, making a show of raking her eyes up and down Alex’s long form and giving an appreciative whistle when Alex pulled out her pump and began reinflating her tires. 

“You better have made a damn delicious meal, Sawyer.”

“You wound me. I’m a fabulous chef.”

“Good. Cause you’re a shit mechanic.”

“I only ever promised to be a mechanic’s helper.”

“You were an even shittier mechanic’s helper!”

“It’s not my fault that my mechanic was too sexy to ignore.”

“That so?” Alex asked, her voice low and raspy as she put away the pump and stepped back from her newly reassembled bike. Maggie nodded enthusiastically, biting at her lower lip in anticipation as Alex stalked across the room, backing her up against the relatively tool-free table and bracketing her with strong arms. “How much do you like those pants?”

“Um, I don’t know, they were just what I found first in the pile to drive over to your place,” Maggie shrugged.

“So a bit of bike grease on them…not the end of the world?”

“Definitely not.” 

Maggie’s gasp of surprise at being hoisted up in Alex’s arms quickly morphed into a needy whimper as Alex’s hands groped at her ass and her lips fell to her neck. She rocked her hips into Alex’s toned abs, not caring just how desperate she looked when Alex’s teeth were nipping at sensitive skin, her hands everywhere but never where she needed them most.

“Please,” Maggie begged, sighing in relief when Alex popped the button on her jeans and roughly pushed the fabric down and over her hips before dropping to her knees. With the first rough flick of Alex’s tongue, she groaned and dropped her head back against the wall, just narrowly missing some of the hanging tools.

“Careful,” Alex ordered, waiting for Maggie to find her place before dropping her tongue back down, holding Maggie’s hips steady with a firm grip. Given how wet Maggie had been before Alex even touched her, Alex found herself unsurprised when Maggie’s hips began bucking beneath her within a few short minutes.

“Fuck, Alex,” she panted, tangling her fingers in Alex’s hair and holding her steady as she came with a gasp.

And that was already perfect, Maggie thought, but Alex didn’t stop, slowly working her down and back up over and over again until she felt nearly boneless—too sensitive for more but too tired to trust her legs to hold her weight up. Sensing that, Alex pulled herself off the ground and picked Maggie up, carrying her out of the shop and into the bathroom.

“What? Gonna leave me in here instead of letting me enjoy a proper bed?” Maggie teased.

“Look in the mirror, dear.”

Maggie craned her neck to check her reflection, noting the greasy black finger marks that streaked across her ass and around her hips. Alex’s refusal to touch her with anything but her mouth suddenly made a lot more sense.

“Thought it might be nice to shower together.”

“I think I might enjoy the chance to return the favor…”

\---

By the time they made it back to Maggie’s apartment, they were both starving, feeling as though they had truly earned their Thanksgiving dinner. Grateful that she had prepared almost everything the night before, Maggie simply preheated the oven and popped a few dishes in before joining Alex out in the living room with a bottle of scotch. 

“So, what does an Alex Danvers Thanksgiving normally look like?” Maggie asked as she passed over a glass with a finger or two of liquid.

“Hmm…nothing like this,” Alex admitted, shaking her head as she took a sip. “Normally I’m out on a job, and when I’m not, it’s my mom, my sister, and some of her friends. Mom talks about how much she wishes I would call more often, would take a job that allowed me to be around and available. I drink enough to ignore the bitching. We fight and scare off Kara’s friends.” 

“Damn, I’ve never been so happy not to be talking to my own family,” Maggie offered with a weak laugh, though she looked sympathetic. 

“Eh, I shouldn’t complain; they’re not the worst. Later that night my mom and I talk until one of us apologizes, then settle into a kind of peace for a few weeks until I tell her I’m disappearing again for however many months and can’t tell her where I’ll be, exactly how long I’ll be, what I’ll be doing, or how to reach me in case of an emergency.”

“Quite the life we lead, huh?”

“No wonder no one wants to date us.”

“Hey,” Maggie protested, “I want to date you.”

“Yeah,” Alex hedged. “Here. Now. While we’re together and can actually act like it.”

“Yeah…I guess.” She knew the conversation was coming, knew it was all too good to last.

“Shame, though,” Alex shrugged, her gaze trained firmly on the amber-colored liquid swirling in her glass.

Maggie looked over, willing herself not to feel hopeful at such an ambiguous statement. “Yeah?”

“I mean, I don’t know. I like you.”

“I like you too,” Maggie admitted. “I like us.”

“We’re pretty great, huh?”

“Hot as fuck, that’s for sure,” Maggie laughed, succeeding in lightening the mood. 

“Most definitely. I don’t know…can I be honest with you for a second?”

“I’d like to hope you normally are.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes, yes. Sorry, no more jokes for the moment.”

“I just—I know we only met because of a lie, but I think…I like you for more than just the convenience of right now, you know?” Alex rubbed at her forehead; her words weren’t coming out the way she wanted them to. “It’s more, like, if this wasn’t our life, if we’d met some other way, I think we’d still have ended up together. Because we fit, you know? I feel…I feel better with you around me than I do alone, and that’s not true about most people.”

“I get it. I, um, it’s probably stupid because, like you said, we’ll finish here soon enough and be sent far away and never even be able to talk about where we are or what we’re doing. But you—this mission, I feel like I’m genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. Not just satisfied with work or proud of what I’m doing, but actually happy.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling.”

Closing her eyes and drawing courage from the memory of Alex’s half-asleep confession, Maggie whispered, “But, um, it’s not just that. I think—no, I know—I’m falling in love with you, Alex. And I, uh, I think I have been for a while now.”

The next thing Maggie knew, there were soft lips on hers—so much softer, so much gentler than the heated kisses they traded earlier. She felt Alex’s hands coming up to cradle her jaw, drawing her ever closer.

“Me too.” The words were barely a whisper against Maggie’s lips, but they filled her with a warmth that spread through her whole body. 

If it weren’t for the timer dinging in the kitchen, she would have taken Alex right back to bed, holding her close until they couldn’t keep their eyes open any longer. “I should get that,” Maggie murmured, even as she dipped forward once more to place another kiss against Alex’s lips.

“Probably,” Alex agreed, nipping at Maggie’s lower lip.

Eventually Maggie untangled her limbs from Alex’s and pulled the dishes from the oven, popping one or two things back in for a few more minutes. Figuring she may as well get everything done while she was up, Maggie pulled down plates and set the table. She grinned when Alex ambled in from the living room, taking the bottle of wine from her to help finish setting the table. 

\---

“That was amazing,” Alex groaned, slumping back down into her seat. “I don’t think I’ll ever get up again.”

“Even if I let you pick the movie?”

Alex perked up at that. “Can we watch in your bed?”

“Only if you help me put away the leftovers.”

“Deal.”

They worked side-by-side to clear the last few dishes and pack up the leftover pie, finally making it all the way to the bedroom and collapsing into Maggie’s king-sized bed. 

“So, what are we watching?”

Alex just shook her head, covering Maggie’s eyes as she grabbed the remote and searched for it. “You’ll see.”

“You’re lucky I like you.”

“I believe you said love,” Alex taunted, elongating her “o” until Maggie hit her in the face with a pillow. 

When the opening credits began, Maggie let out a bark of laughter. “Really, Danvers? DEBS?”

“It’s a great movie, and I won’t hear otherwise.”

“Did you pick your career based on this movie?”

“…No.”

“You paused.”

“Did not.”

“Did so. You totally wanted to find your hot Lucy Diamond.”

“And so what if I did!”

“You’re a dork.”

“You’re the one that fell for a dork.”

Maggie just rolled her eyes and hit play, falling back into the pillows and holding up her arm for Alex to snuggle into her side. 

\---

After a leisurely morning in bed, Alex finally propped herself up on her elbows. “I guess we should probably do a little work, huh?”

“I call not listening to the bedroom tapes!” Maggie yelled, laughing at Alex’s pout. 

“You owe me.”

“Please, I got stuck with them last time.”

Choosing to ignore Maggie’s comment, Alex dragged herself out of bed and pulled on a sweatshirt. By the time Maggie got out to the living room, Alex had everything all set up for them. She grabbed the offered headphones and hit play on the living room recording, while Alex got started on the bedroom.

“Anything?” Alex asked. On her end, she’d just gotten silence so far.

“A sped-up version of boring dinner conversation. No business yet.” A couple of hours after dinner ended, though, Maggie heard a phone ring. She listened to Sam pick up, then excuse herself, leaving Tasha alone downstairs.

“Do you have a phone call now?” Maggie called out to Alex.

Alex shook her head. “I can hear a faint murmur of someone. Try the office?”

Maggie switched over to the third recorder and turned the volume up high. “It’s Lillian,” she mouthed to Alex, who ditched the useless bedroom tapes in favor of the one she had installed in the Project Helios device. Thus far it had seemed to be working, though it hadn’t moved since delivery, and there had been very little conversation in its general vicinity. 

Across from Alex, Maggie tried to sift through everything she’d heard from Sam’s side of the phone call. If she had to take a guess, she’d say plans were rapidly being put in motion—something about the first phase Sam had mentioned to Alex the night she dragged her to the lab. And sure, it was worrisome, but nothing Maggie heard warranted the way all color seemed to drain from Alex’ face, nothing should have brought about the hardness that overtook Alex’s feature, turning her into someone who looked an awful lot like Sam in her determination. 

“Alex…what’s going on?” Maggie asked.

“I knew it. God, I’m so fucking stupid,” Alex snarled, pulling herself up off of the couch and throwing off her clothes as she raced toward the bedroom.

“What are you talking about?”

“Project Helios!” Alex yelled, her head in the closet as she fished out some of the tactical gear she’d left at Maggie’s place over the weeks. “I was so fucking convinced that I was doing something okay with that—that it was defensive.”

“Yeah, that’s what it sounded like.”

“Yeah, well, what would you know?” Alex snapped, more at herself than at Maggie, though the look on the other woman’s face suggested she hadn’t heard it that way. 

“What are they doing with it?”

“Already did with it,” Alex corrected, pulling on tight black layers. “They got Supergirl. Something I fucking made rendered the Girl of Steel powerless and out of the picture.”

“Forever?” Maggie gasped.

“No—she—I don’t know, okay! She’s alive, but Lillian wants her dead soon enough. She’s only keeping her alive for some other project—Medusa or something. But the attack is this weekend. National City.”

“Okay, we’ll get a team. I’ll call Kate, and you can call J’onn.”

“No, we’ll be too late. I’m going now.”

“Alex! You know as well as I do that part of this job is about patience. We need to plan this right. We already had the attack here and got Superman to help stop the worst of it. We can’t just give up our cover when Lillian may well get away.”

“She’s not worth it,” Alex growled, strapping weapons to her thighs.

“Since when?” Maggie spat out. “She’s the whole point of this mission! She’s the heart of Cadmus.”

“There are things that matter more than her.” A wave of crippling guilt overtook her, and Alex staggered forward, grabbing for yet another gun as images of a nearly lifeless Kara flitted through her mind. Her fault. Everything she did—it was never enough, never would be, never could be if she let this happen. 

“We have teams in National City, Alex,” Maggie insisted, placing a reassuring hand on Alex’s shoulder only to find it flung away. 

“I already called for transport back.”

“Well then let me get ready—I’ll be able to make sure Kate has a team there too.”

“Transport for one,” Alex corrected, unwilling to look Maggie in the eyes.”

“Excuse me?”

“I shouldn’t have let myself get so distracted. This wasn’t supposed to be about me; it was about keeping aliens here safe, and now I’ve put them all in danger because I let myself be selfish for one fucking second.”

“Nothing has happened yet!”

“You call a half-conscious Supergirl nothing?” Alex growled, rounding on Maggie, anger flashing in her eyes. A buzz from her phone drew her attention before she could say any more. “I’ve gotta go.”

“Alex! Alex, wait!” Maggie yelled after her retreating form, but it was already too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all of your comments!! I'm really excited to respond to them over the next day or two :D  
> (And I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter that I think packed a lot of emotions in one rollercoaster ride...)


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW for canon typical violence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll be off with family for the next several days, so I’m posting this update a little early. It’s extra long - hope you enjoy!

“Ready to avenge Jocelyn’s death?” Maggie asked.

“What are you talking about?” Sam growled, stepping out her front door and shutting it carefully behind her. 

“You know as well as I do what it means.”

“Did Lillian send you? You and your girlfriend feeding her information now?”

“Not even close,” Maggie scoffed, letting out a bark of a laugh. “Look, you’re coming with me no matter what. So there’s only one real question left: do you want to help bring down the woman that you know—I know you know deep down—killed your wife?”

The way Sam lunged at her, the fact that she was pressed up against the brick wall of Sam’s house with a hand hard against her throat, barely fazed Maggie; she’d dealt with worse. “You can’t know that. Superman killed her.”

“Yeah…found some old footage—the way she died? None of it looks like Superman’s doing. But it looks an awful lot like what happens to organisms infected with that early prototype of Project Hydra. Ringing any bells?” Maggie taunted, too far gone to listen to her own self-preservation instincts. 

“Fuck you.”

“I’m offering you the choice one more time. Come with me and see just a little bit of justice done. Or don’t. You’ll still come with me, of course, just without any memories of doing an ounce of good in this world to sustain you while you rot behind bars for domestic terrorism. Or maybe intergalactic terrorism if some of these leads pan out… You wouldn’t believe what Lillian’s gotten up to using your name…”

Maggie had their positions reversed and Sam face first against the rough brick before she could think to hurt Maggie in any real way. 

“Who are you?” Sam growled.

“The woman who’s about to put Lillian away once and for all.”

She felt the moment Sam’s muscles relaxed ever so slightly, the moment she stopped fighting her grip with all her strength. “I want a deal.”

“I imagine so. Your little friend Victor already spilled every dark secret he knew, though, so you’ll have to dig deep.”

“What do you mean?”

“You remember Officer Haught, don’t you? Cute redhead, hung out at the bar you frequented? Well, seems Victor got a little too friendly chatting with the bartender…ya know, the fine officer’s girlfriend. Said just enough to warrant an arrest, and then he cracked just like that,” Maggie finished, snapping her fingers, a smirk playing about her mouth. 

“Maybe I don’t have many secrets left you don’t already know from Victor and your little girlfriend,”—Maggie winced at the term, biting back her emotions at the glimmer of suspicion in Sam’s eyes—“but I can help in ways you can’t even imagine. I know how Lillian thinks. I know what it’s like to go up against her in a fight, and you know as well as I do she doesn’t fight fair. You’ll need someone on your side who won’t either.”

“I’m listening,” Maggie said, her voice low and her words measured. 

“If I help you bring her down, you don’t go near Tasha. She doesn’t get prosecuted—now or in the future. Her name isn’t dragged through the press. She’s safe.”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me. If you want my help, Tasha walks free. This was never her fight.”

Maggie considered it for a moment. Tasha had never been one of her main targets, and they didn’t have too much proof of her involvement outside of aiding and abetting. “Deal.”

\---

Within the hour, Sam and Maggie were sitting side-by-side in the back of the Kane Agencies helicopter soaring fast enough that even Maggie felt a little unwell. After years in the military, Sam looked relatively at ease. Or as at ease as could be expected when she’d been greeted with a subdermal tracker being shoved into her shoulder and handcuffs being slapped on that wouldn’t come off until they got to the long abandoned factory down at the port where their intel indicated Lillian should be. 

Sam had cooperated, given them as much information as she had about Project Medusa—an alien virus designed to wipe out almost every species living on earth—and Kane Agencies was able to confirm Sam’s suspicion that Supergirl was not only powerless, having solar flared thanks to Project Helios, but had also been taken hostage. 

“So where’s your girlfriend?” Sam asked, dropping her head back to rest against the padded wall of the helicopter. 

“None of your business,” Maggie snarled.

“Does she know you’re not Maria?”

“You don’t even know whether or not I’m Maria.”

“You’re not.”

Maggie just shrugged.

“They called you Sawyer.”

“And?”

“So Cat—you already arrest her? What’d you do, cuff her while she slept?”

“It’s not like that.”

“So she’s on your side?”

“I don’t know, okay!” Maggie snapped, rubbing at her temples as she dropped her head into her hands, willing the pulsing tension headache that had been building all day to disappear. 

“Interesting,” Sam mused. “Think we’ll see her at the raid?”

“Probably,” Maggie admitted, figuring there was no use hiding the information now that her cover was blown and Sam was as close to in custody as she would be until the fight was over. 

“But she’s not going with you.”

“No…she’s probably already there.”

A flicker of something like guilt, something like pain, flashed across Sam’s features before she schooled her expression back into one of indifference. “Better hope she’s still alive.”

Maggie just gritted her teeth, refusing to give Sam the satisfaction of seeing that she’d made her worry, though she called up to the front and asked if they could fly any faster, feeling a sense of satisfaction when they lurched forward. 

\---

“Danvers,” J’onn snapped, stepping in front of her to block her path. “You are not going in like this.”

“Like hell I’m not,” Alex growled, pushing her way past and grabbing yet another weapon to strap to herself.

“I am your superior officer, Agent.” J’onn rarely pulled rank, and it drew Alex’s full attention to him for a moment. “You go storming in, guns blazing and emotions high, you won’t leave alive, and that’s a guarantee. You think Kara would be proud of that? If she makes it, but you don’t, do you really think she could live with herself?”

“She always knew it could end that way—will end that way, even if I live to 90.”

“Not like this, Alex.” His voice was softer now. “We’ll get a team together, go in with our wits about us. Lillian isn’t going to kill her hostage before she’s put her plan into effect. She wants everything to work exactly the way she planned it.”

“How can you know that?”

“If your sister has taught me anything, it’s that sometimes you have to believe, to hope. And, dammit, Alex, I’m giving us the best shot we have.”

Alex nodded, swallowing harshly. “I get to pick my team.”

“I expected nothing less.”

“Lucy’s back, right?”

“She is.”

“And I want Vasquez to have eyes on the team at all times.”

“Of course. And I’ll be right beside you.”

“What? No,” Alex scoffed, snapping out of her single-minded focus at that. “Medusa will kill you, J’onn.”

“You were ready to die to save Kara.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“I…I’m human! Death is—it’s something I’m always prepared for, like it or not. You two—you can do so much more good here than I ever could. You should have so many more years, centuries, in front of you.”

“I resigned myself to dying many lifetimes ago, Alex. I let one family die; I won’t let it happen to another—not without fighting right there beside my girls.”

Choking back a sob, Alex wiped at her eyes, desperately trying to drive away images of J’onn and Kara’s lifeless bodies, followed by a vivid memory of the stricken look in Maggie’s eyes when she left, guilt gnawing at Alex at the thought that she might have doomed her too by deserting her. 

\---

That night, Maggie crept through the alleyway, a gun pointed at Sam’s back and a team of operatives behind her. She wondered if Alex knew she was coming, wondered if Alex would even realize it was her with the helmet and the tactical gear. The thought that it might already be too late for Alex to know or realize anything was one she couldn’t entertain right now, couldn’t even allow space to in her head.

It wasn’t until she spotted the DEO team assembled, until she saw Alex’s telltale profile, that she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The anger at the woman for leaving didn’t dissipate, but it barely seemed to matter in the face of overwhelming relief. 

\---

“Kane Agencies is here now, ma’am,” one of the newer agents informed Alex, stepping back to let her see the newest arrivals. She glowered at the sight of Sam.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Alex demanded, barking at anyone in the Kane group who would listen.

Pulling off her helmet, Maggie glared up at her. “She’s here to fight.”

“You can’t know that. I want her gone.”

“That’s not your call to make,” Maggie growled. “She’ll have an agent with her at all times.”

“Oh really? Who’s that?”

“Me.”

Grabbing one of her own agents to keep a gun trained on Sam, Alex dragged Maggie a few steps away, hissing at her: “What the hell? Do you want to turn this into a suicide mission?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I think you were just fine making it a solo suicide mission this morning.”

“Mags—”

“Just stop, Danvers. I don’t want to hear it.”

“You don’t know that she won’t double-cross you.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty fucking obvious I don’t have the best taste in partners, but we don’t have a choice right now, and she’s the best hope we’ve got for understanding how Lillian works.”

Swallowing harshly and trying to fight the wave of shame and guilt she felt, Alex nodded head once. “Be safe. Please.”

\---

Even though it was clear Cadmus wasn’t remotely prepared for a strike team as large as their combined forces, they were ready for interference, and Alex found herself falling into soldier mode immediately as soon as the first round of guards came at them. She had hoped to make it further into the factory before alerting everyone to their presence, but there were at least enough of them that they could split up and cover the ground quickly. Within minutes, they had neutralized the first round of guards, and the ones who weren’t dead were quickly zip-tied, disarmed, and dragged out to the waiting vans for transport back to the DEO’s holding cells until they had their full case together. 

\---

Maggie and Sam swept down one of the side corridors, another pair of agents in front of them clearing rooms as they went. 

“If there’s an upstairs, Lillian will be there,” Sam muttered, trying to get a sense of the building’s layout. “She’ll want to know what’s going on without being in the fight yet.”

“We’re looking for stairs, ladders, half-decks,” Maggie ordered into her earpiece, waiting for any response about possible locations.

As they cleared the last room of the corridor, finding nothing but dead ends and booby traps, Kate radioed in: “Southwest corner of the building—there’s a stairwell.” 

“On it,” Maggie replied, turning to Sam. “Show time.”

\---

“Fuck,” Alex gritted out, managing to get off a shot despite the searing pain in her leg from where she’d been struck by some sort of weapon—definitely not human in origin—that left what felt like scorch marks across her skin. 

“Fall back, Danvers!” J’onn ordered, stepping up to take point in the attack, while Lucy drew up to his six.

“Like hell.” She crouched into a more defensive position, though, and waited until a round of deadly fire from Lucy and J’onn cleared the room. Taking the moment of calm within the storm to assess her wound, Alex pulled out her flashlight and inspected the newly exposed flesh. “Surface level,” she deemed it. With a bit of gauze and a strip of fabric in place, she nodded for them to continue, and for once J’onn let her have it without objection.

\---

Peering around the doorway from the back stairwell, Maggie squinted, trying to make out anyone in the darkness.

“The end there,” Sam whispered, gesturing to where the hallway split off in two directions. 

Figuring she’d have to trust Sam and hoping like hell it wasn’t a mistake, Maggie nodded and followed her lead, moving stealthily down the corridor until they got to the corner.

“My, my, what have we here?” came Lillian’s voice.

\---

“Kara!” Alex gasped, rushing toward the hospital bed where her sister was strapped down, her skin deathly pale and her breathing shallow. Pulling out her knife, Alex made quick work of the thick straps, freeing Kara’s hands, then her legs. “You’re gonna be okay, you’ll be just fine,” Alex whispered. 

“She will be,” J’onn insisted, radioing over to Lucy, who had teamed up with another agent to cover for them, to tell her that they’d found Supergirl. Assessing their surroundings, J’onn gestured to what looked like a makeshift lab. “Alex, look.”

Forcing herself to look away from Kara, Alex glanced around the room. “Is that…?”

J’onn nodded, prodding at what looked like a rocket launcher. He tried prying it free only to pull back when he felt the way it shuddered, as though the whole thing were unstable. While Alex assessed Kara’s vitals, he called over to Vasquez, relaying information about what they’d found until she had a tentative report. 

“It’s unstable,” J’onn informed Alex. “The isotope Cadmus used to make the virus airborne—it’s not quite stable. I worry…I worry that if I just rip it open, I could kill us all.”

Taking in all the information, Alex gritted her teeth, a look of determination hardening on her features. “Get her out of here,” she ordered, not caring about the chain of command, not caring that J’onn was her director, not caring that it wasn’t her place to make demands. 

“We have a whole team of agents and doctors here for medical evac, Agent.”

“J’onn,” Alex said, her voice thick with emotion as she looked down at Kara’s nearly lifeless form, as she looked at the rocket filled with a kind of poison that would kill J’onn before she could do a thing. “Please. Please, just fly her back to the DEO and stay with her. Stay safe. Keep her safe. And if I—if—tell her I love her, okay?”

J’onn looked like he wanted to fight her on it, but eventually he dipped his head in agreement. “I’ll see you back at the DEO, Agent. Consider that an order.”

“Yes, sir.” The second J’onn had Kara in his arms, Alex turned back to the task at hand, taking a deep breath before looking back at the dispersal mechanism. “Vasquez,” she called through the radio.”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I need all the intel you have. Now.”

\---

“Such loyal agents,” Lillian scoffed, looking at the two women standing before her.

“I know how you treat your agents,” Sam bit back. “Doesn’t exactly inspire loyalty.”

“What are you on about now?”

“You know exactly what I mean, Lillian—Project Hydra.”

“Ah, here I thought you were going to bring up that ancient history again… It’s good to see you finally over Jocelyn.”

Sam had a gun out and trained on Lillian before Maggie could blink. “Stop!” Maggie ordered. “Lillian, tell us how to stop it. Tell us how to stop it, and maybe you won’t spend every moment until you die in a maximum security isolation cell.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s how I’ll spend the rest of my life regardless of whether or not I say a word right now.”

\---

Alex could feel sweat dripping down her face as they came down to the wire. She’d done what she could—done all she could do—had been talked through an experiment without having nearly the right equipment to do it—and now all they could do was wait to see if she’d been successful at neutralizing the virus. Eliza had been on the line with Vasquez, had told Alex she believed in her, told her she loved her, told her if anyone could do it, it was her. And she wanted to believe her, wanted so very much for it to be true. Because if it wasn’t—she didn’t think she could deal with the consequences.

“The virus might be neutralized, but that’s still gonna blow, Agent,” came J’onn’s booming voice. “We’re evacuating now. Get out of the building.”

“There’s nothing more we can do?” Alex asked, her voice strained with worry.

“You’ve done all you can. Now we hope.”

“Yes, sir.” With a resigned sigh and one last look at what was essentially a ticking timebomb, Alex turned on her heel and made her way quickly to the exit. 

Outside, she and Lucy counted out their agents, made sure all of them were accounted for before they left. 

“Wait. Where’s Maggie?” Alex asked, craning her neck around to look over at the Kane Agency team.

“I’m sure she’s with her people,” Lucy insisted. “We need to get away from the building now.”

“Get everyone loaded into the vans. I’ll be there in a second.” While Lucy began herding everyone in, Alex jogged over to the Kane Agency team. “Did Sawyer already get out?”

“Not yet,” someone—she didn’t know who, didn’t care who—told her. She stopped listening after that, turned back to Lucy before they were done speaking.

“I’m going back in for her.”

“Alex, no—I’m not gonna let you risk your life like that.”

“I have to.”

“You don’t. What would you tell any one of your other agents? You’d say that they should trust their people to get out. She’s smart and well-trained—you’ve said so yourself. Trust her.”

“It’s not about trusting her or not, Lucy,” Alex insisted. “It’s—I’m not abandoning her twice. I need to be there for her.”

Ignoring the sound of Lucy’s calls after her, Alex forced her way back into the building, calling over her radio to get Maggie’s last known coordinates.

“Southwest corner,” came Kate’s voice. “There’s a stairwell—that’s where I sent them.”

“Got it, thanks.”

“Be fast, Agent.” And Alex couldn’t be sure, but it sounded an awful lot like pride, like gratitude, in Kate’s tone. 

She took off running toward the back corner of the building, flying up the stairs two at a time and hurtling down the corridor, skidding to a halt at the sound of gunshots and a muffled cry of pain.

\---

“Admit it!” Sam shouted, clicking off the safety of her gun. “Admit you killed her!”

“What good does it do you to know?” Lillian asked, her voice smooth and deep. “What good would it do you to kill me?” She lazily pointed her own gun over at Maggie. “An eye for an eye justice, does that help? Not that you’ll escape either, of course. The whole place is rigged with explosives set to go off when Medusa launches,” she shrugged.

“No proof, no jail time,” Maggie deduced, glaring at the woman and wishing she had heat vision. 

“Mm, yes, look at that baseline competence.”

“I need to know,” Sam insisted, edging closer to Lillian.

“Will it bring you solace in your final moments alive?”

Sam said nothing, just glared, her body shaking with anger.

“I did what I had to do. Maybe she’d still be alive had you learned to do the same.”

Maggie and Lillian both saw the moment Sam’s finger curled around the trigger. Time seemed to slow down as the first shot went off, followed closely by Lillian’s fumbling with her own gun. Before Lillian could get her shot off properly, though, Sam was on her, grunting as the bullet found a new target in her stomach.

“Maggie,” Alex gasped, rushing around the corner, her heart pounding her chest as she forced herself to look at the damage. But Maggie was still standing, holding a gun and looking slightly dazed.

Sam was slumped over Lillian, dark red blood pooling beneath them. “Is she…?”

“I think so,” Maggie answered, helping Alex to carefully move the bodies.

“Lillian’s dead,” Maggie announced, her fingers against her neck, feeling for even a weak pulse.

“Sam’s alive. But I don’t know for how long.” Tearing off her outer layer, Alex balled it up and held it against Sam’s stomach, trying to stem the flow of blood. “We need to get out of here. Now.”

“Let’s just call in a med evac.”

“No—you don’t understand. The whole building’s about to blow. I sent most of our teams far away.”

“Alex, what the fuck?” Maggie gasped, even as they stood and began shuffling down the hallway, Sam held up between the two of them. “Why did you come back?”

“I left once, Maggie. I don’t ever want to make that mistake again.”

“That’s touching, but stupid,” Maggie grunted, struggling to hold Sam aloft as they stumbled down the stairs. She didn’t dwell on the fact that she’d never had someone who would care enough to come back for her. Hell, her own family left her out in the cold. And here was this woman she’d known for barely a few months who was willing to throw herself into the line of fire just to make sure she made it out alive. 

“Oh shut up.”

“We better make it through this so I can tease you about it forever.”

“Forever, huh?” Alex teased, her laugh cut short as the first explosion rocked the stairwell, and they nearly fell the last few steps. “Come on,” Alex urged, trying to run as best as they could while keeping pressure on Sam’s gunshot wound.

Another explosion shook the ground beneath them, sending the room a few yards in front of them and to the left up in flames. Alex choked on the smoke, trying to shield her eyes from the dust of the crumbling walls. The feeling of something larger that seemed to shake the foundations of the whole building sent a surge of adrenaline through Alex. 

Grabbing Sam and throwing her over her shoulder, hoping the pressure of her own body would work as a makeshift compress for a minute, Alex ordered, “Clear the way!” 

Understanding the urgency of the situation, Maggie charged forward, diverting them down a side hallway when it became clear that the second explosion had made it impossible to get through the main corridor, crumbling concrete strewn across the way. Her lungs burned with the sheer amount of smoke and dust she had inhaled, and her eyes were watering, but she kept running, yelling encouragements when she could finally see the entrance. 

Just a few feet away, Alex felt the ground seem to lurch beneath her as the rocket went off with a loud boom that echoed in her ears, followed by a series of smaller explosions that left walls crumbling all around her. Before she could give up, overwhelmed by the dead weight on her shoulder, the smoke filling her lungs and clouding her vision, the wound still burning at her thigh, and the exhaustion that seemed to seep deep into her bones, she felt a warm hand reaching out for her, curling around her waist and dragging her out of the building.

\---

When Alex woke up, she panicked for a moment at the heavy weight on her shoulder, flashing right back to the last moments she remembered. 

“Hey, you’re okay,” Kara whispered, carding her fingers through Alex’s hair and hitting the button to page one of the DEO’s doctors. “You’re good. You’re alive.”

“And you? And Maggie?”

“We’re both alive. She’ll be happy to see you up. She asks about you every time she wakes up.”

“Oh god, how long have I been out?” 

“Not long—maybe ten hours.” Seeing the look of confusion on Alex’s face, Kara explained: “They gave her some pretty heavy duty painkillers…she keeps falling asleep then waking up half an hour later desperate to know where you are.” 

Alex felt warmth bloom within her chest as she looked to her side and saw Maggie passed out in the bed next to her, gauze wrapped around her bicep, bruises and scrapes all across her upper body, and a brace on her wrist, but otherwise looking safe—alive. 

“It was actually pretty cute,” Kara admitted, shrugging and nodding in Maggie’s direction. “She insisted on getting up to take your pulse herself each time. Of course, she was too drugged up on the pain medicine to actually know what she was doing, so she just put her ear to your heart until she decided she had heard it beating.”

“I wish I could have seen it.”

“Don’t worry—Lucy and I took a video.”

“Oh shit…”

“Yeah, she’s about ready to kill you—since you’re alive and all.”

Alex groaned, dropping her head back to the pillow and wincing as it seemed to send pain radiating through her skull.

“Got a pretty good whack to the head in there… You should probably be careful.”

“And you?”

“Human…for a few more days. Lots of lounging in the sunbed in order.”

“I’m so sorry, Kara,” Alex apologized, tears prickling at the edge of her eyes. “I should’ve—god, I could never have forgiven myself.”

“Hey, you did what you had to do. You had no way of knowing.”

“But if I had…I could never have lived with myself.”

“Oh,” came a quiet sigh from Alex’s side.

“Maggie! You’re awake!”

“She’s your sister.”

“Yeah… Kara, this is Maggie. I think you met, but you’re a little loopy still,” she teased.

“No, no,” Maggie insisted, her eyes slightly unfocused but her tone certain. “Your sister—she’s Supergirl.”

“Congratulations, you just won yourself so much paperwork,” Kara snorted.

“That’s why you left.”

“I’m gonna…yeah,” Kara trailed off, motioning for the door as she quickly excused herself, figuring she could hurry the doctors up on her way out.

“I’m really sorry. I just—”

“I get it. I, well, I heard the speech. When it was my life on the line, you came for me too.”

“Of course. I love you, Maggie.”

“Totally getting soft on me,” Maggie teased, even as she felt warmth bloom in her chest at the admission.

“Maybe a little.”

“How are the patients doing this morning?” one of the DEO doctors asked. 

“Little banged up,” Alex admitted. “But alive.”

“That you are, Agent Danvers.” 

Alex stayed fairly quiet as a team of doctors and nurses checked her vitals and Maggie’s, deeming them both okay but in need of quite a bit of rest and relaxation.

“Hey, um, what about Sam?” Alex asked. Despite everything, she’d still saved Maggie’s life.

J’onn strode in then, dismissing the doctors. “She didn’t make it,” he told Alex, his voice low and soothing. 

“Oh.”

“You should be proud, though—both of you.”

“She still died,” Alex scoffed. 

“Yes…but you bought her enough time to make her peace. She got to talk to Tasha, even told us where we could find everything she had on Lillian.”

Alex nodded, careful not to shake her head too much. “Still believed in Cadmus, though?”

“To her last.”


	24. Epilogue

“Dr. McKenna, might I have the pleasure of a dance?”

Alex looked up, letting a small smile curl up the sides of her mouth at the sight of Jack Martino, one of the partners from the firm where she’d been working as a paralegal for the last two months. Even she could admit that he looked rather dashing in a full tuxedo, a few locks of his wavy dark hair falling down into his eyes as he bowed slightly in front of her, right hand extended.

“I suppose there’s no harm in a dance,” Alex teased, letting herself be led to the dancefloor in the middle of the large ballroom the firm had booked for their annual end-of-year celebration.

“You really do look stunning tonight,” Jack murmured, his mouth by her ear as he moved them in position to dance properly.

“You clean up well too, Martino.” He grinned and spun her out, drawing her back into his chest and letting his hand fall to its place on her lower back.

“Oh but we already knew that,” he laughed—a rich, deep sound that seemed to fill the air and drew the eyes of several of the other dancers to them. Alex couldn’t help but notice how many of them looked curious—some, a little envious too. But soon enough her attention returned to two of the other partners who had been her targets for the past couple of months. As they made their way around the floor, Alex watched and waited for them to move from their seats at the head table. Now that dessert had been served, it was only a matter of time, and truth be told, Alex was looking forward to returning home to National City. The work had been interesting, but the hours were long—better suited for single, young people with few responsibilities and the energy to bound in each morning on only a few hours of sleep and enough espresso to power a small motor vehicle.

“Are the partners giving a toast tonight?” Alex asked, biting back a satisfied grin at the sight of her team moving into first position. The thrill of taking down the bad guys was the one part of her job that she’d never tired of, even all these years later.

The arrival of another woman in a floor-length black gown cut off Jack’s answer. “Mind if I cut in?”

“I suppose I really can’t deny you a proper dance with your wife,” Jack said, raising Alex’s hand to his mouth and barely pressing his lips to her knuckles before stepping back. “And if you ever want to tell me how it is you lure Marina to these events, it might be nice to finally have Kevin by my side.”

“Mm, I don’t know how work appropriate that answer would be,” Alex mused, grinning at Jack’s loud laugh.

“Sneaky! Though I suppose if you ever get to meet Kevin outside of our little dinners, you’ll know just what I had to do.” With a dip of his head, Jack made his way back to the table, figuring perhaps the senior partners could do with a push of encouragement to get the toast on the way. After all, Harold already looked like he was just a drink or two away from passing out in the middle of the dancefloor…again.

Alex let herself be spun out once more as they found their way into a rhythm with the new song and edged closer and closer to the back entrance to the hall.

“Where are you two off to this early?” Harold asked, his voice loud and his words slurring together. “You wouldn’t want to miss the gift bags!”

Laughing softly, Alex agreed, “No, no, wouldn’t want to miss the end-of-year bonuses in there at all. We just need to…freshen up.” She let her hand dip lower on her wife’s back, skirting the line between affectionate and suggestive as her team began spreading out, pairs of “caterers” moving toward each of the entrances and other undercover attendees skirting around to the partners’ table where Green and Blackwell of Blackwell, Green, Jules, and Associates were slowly beginning to make their exit.

“Oh, right you are,” he laughed, winking without the slightest care for subtlety before stumbling back to the open bar.

“Perimeter secure. Vans detained,” crackled a voice in Alex’s ear, and with a firm nod, she watched her team slide seamlessly into action, moving to intercept the partners on their way to the back exit and swiftly carrying away the table of gift bags full of laundered money.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one of the junior partners who’d only been hired in the past week reaching to pull something strapped to his waist. “Gun!” she yelled, flinging herself forward and tackling him to the ground, watching as the weapon went skidding across the floor, finally stopped by a stilettoed foot.

“Always on your 6, babe,” Maggie said with a grin as she reached down and picked up the gun, pointing it at their newest arrestee as Alex read him his rights and secured his hands behind his back with twist ties that she pulled as discreetly as possible from inside her dress.

\---

“Good work, agents,” J’onn commended them as they stepped into the DEO after their flight back to National City.

“She’s still not one of yours,” Kate corrected him, pulling Maggie in for a hug. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispered, squeezing Maggie just a little tighter.

“Ah yes, the joys of enforced collaboration.” Kate just barely bit back a laugh as she shook her head and let go of Maggie.

“Not our fault we’re so perfect as a team,” Alex murmured, drawing Maggie back and kissing her soundly.

“Would be a shame to let this perfect chemistry go to waste,” Maggie agreed.

“If anyone is interested in an actual report…” J’onn cleared his throat, waiting until all eyes had returned to him. “Thanks to months of work, we were able to apprehend Brenda Green and William Blackwell, as well as their team of associates, and have helped to find temporary shelter for the aliens they were trafficking.”

“And my end-of-year bonus?” Alex asked, fluttering her eyelashes and giving J’onn her most innocent smile.

“Has tragically been confiscated for a federal investigation,” he deadpanned.

Once the debriefing ended, Alex led Maggie outside and over to her motorcycle. “Up for a little adventure?”

“With you? Always.”

With a wink, Alex threw her leg over the saddle and motioned for Maggie to get on behind her. “Hold on tight.” And she did, as Alex zig-zagged through traffic—a bit more cautious these days, but still fast enough that Maggie felt a thrill run through her as she clung even more tightly to Alex’s waist.

Maggie’s face lit up as they pulled into a parking spot outside of Julie’s, a small diner that was really just a converted rowhome that served some of the best coffee and stuffed French toast in National City. It also happened to be the same place they’d gone after returning from each and every mission.

“Hey there!” Emma, Julie’s daughter and the newest proprietor, called out, waving to them. “Sit wherever you’d like.”

Tangling her fingers in Maggie’s, Alex dragged them over to the corner table right by the window. “For tradition,” she whispered, taking her usual seat.

“I guess that means you know what today is too, huh?”

“Ten years.”

“And two days.”

“Not my fault the partners pushed back the end-of-year party,” Alex huffed.

“Not in the slightest. We still had our fun on the day of…”

Alex’s eyes fluttered closed and a flush of warmth spread through her whole body, tingling all the way down to her fingers and toes as she thought back to how they’d spent that night. “Yes, yes we did.”

“I’m glad we finally pulled our heads out of our asses and made it work,” Maggie added, her tone suddenly serious.

Alex shook her head; she still wasn’t sure how they had possibly thought that they’d be able to walk away. Of course, it did seem to be part of the job—losing people, being abandoned and abandoning them in turn, watching relationships crumble from afar. But it had been different with Maggie from the start.

_After finally healing up from their showdown with Cadmus—a process made significantly more enjoyable by Maggie’s near-constant presence as they shuffled back and forth between their two apartments—they’d both found themselves assigned to new tasks. Maggie boarded a plane for DC, while Alex piled into a van with a team of agents and trundled off to Colorado, and they promised to remember each other fondly. But it wasn’t like losing people in the way she was used to doing. She was still competent and capable, but she never felt like she was at her best anymore. Her team worked well enough together, but her heart wasn’t in it. And by the time she got back to National City once more, she still hadn’t stopped missing Maggie, feeling like a part of her had been wrenched away. And for weeks, she’d gone over to Maggie’s apartment once a night, knocking on the door and feeling her heart break a little each time her knock went unanswered. Until finally, an absolutely exhausted, jetlagged Maggie swung the door open, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. And they both knew they needed to talk, needed to figure out what it was they were doing. But in that moment, all that mattered was feeling Maggie’s lips on hers once more, holding the other woman in her arms again. She got her first full night’s sleep in two months, and the next morning she brought Maggie down to Julie’s where they finally talked, putting everything that could be said aloud in a public location out on the table as they brainstormed possible solutions. In the end, it was Kate who finally suggested a more permanent inter-agency partnership. She maintained that she still steadfastly loathed the DEO—and Alex was fairly certain that, as an organization, she really did—but, as she put it, “I can’t have my best agent out there moping around like a lovesick puppy.”_

“I think the whole getting our heads out of our asses thing has pretty much been our motto from the start,” Alex laughed, thanking Emma as she set down their two coffees, already knowing their order by heart.

“Kara said as much in her toast at the wedding.”

“Better than Winn’s hashtag…what was it, idiots in love?”

Maggie nearly snorted into her coffee. “Glad we didn’t put that on the invitations.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with the story all the way through, especially to everyone who commented or messaged me! Your words of encouragement never failed to make me smile! 
> 
> I know I’ve gotten a few asks about what’s next. Right now I’ve been posting a Carol AU, though I know Sanvers isn’t a main pairing in that one. The next multi-chapter work with a Sanvers slow burn (gotta love the slow burn) is going to be a political AU. I’m trying to pace myself and hold off on posting the first chapter until at least mid-January in the hopes that I’ll have the first few chapters at least drafted by then, but we’ll see if I get impatient! If anyone is here for Supercat, though, I’d love your thoughts on the Carol AU as well. Hope you all had a safe and happy New Year!

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on Tumblr @sapphicscholarwrites


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